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Tamil Nadu

American  
[nah-doo] / ˈnɑ du /

noun

  1. a large state in S India: formerly a presidency; boundaries readjusted on a linguistic basis 1956. 50,216 sq. mi. (130,058 sq. km). Chennai.

Tamil Nadu British  
/ ˈtæmɪl nɑːˈduː /

noun

  1. Former name (until 1968): Madras.  a state of SE India, on the Coromandel Coast: reorganized in 1956 and 1960 and made smaller; consists of a coastal plain backed by hills, including the Nilgiri Hills in the west Capital: Chennai (formerly called Madras). Pop: 62 110 839 (2001). Area: 130 058 sq km (50 216 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The shift is especially pronounced in states such as Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, says Abraham.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

South Korean conglomerate HD Hyundai plans to dramatically increase India’s domestic ship building capacity with a port expansion and greenfield port development in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India’s hub for export-oriented automotive industries.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

South Korean conglomerate HD Hyundai plans to dramatically increase India’s domestic ship building capacity with a port expansion and greenfield port development in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India’s hub for export-oriented automotive industries.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

India's southern state of Tamil Nadu has a long, peculiar political tradition: here, cinema doesn't merely entertain, it also governs.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

The plains of Tamil Nadu were beastly hot.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.