Thailand
Americannoun
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Formerly Siam. a kingdom in SE Asia: official name of Siam 1939–45 and since 1949. 198,242 sq. mi. (513,445 sq. km). Bangkok.
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Also called Gulf of Siam. Gulf of. an arm of the South China Sea, S of Thailand.
noun
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Former name (until 1939 and 1945–49): Siam. a kingdom in SE Asia, on the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand: united as a kingdom in 1350 and became a major SE Asian power; consists chiefly of a central plain around the Chao Phraya river system, mountains rising over 2400 m (8000 ft) in the northwest, and rainforest the length of the S peninsula. Parts of the SW coast suffered badly in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Official language: Thai. Official religion: (Hinayana) Buddhist. Currency: baht. Capital: Bangkok. Pop: 67 448 120 (2013 est). Area: 513 998 sq km (198 455 sq miles)
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Former name: Gulf of Siam. an arm of the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and Indochina
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Strongly supported the United States during the Vietnam War, Thailand was the site of American air bases until 1976, when relations with the United States deteriorated.
During the early 1990s, its economy became one of the strongest in Asia, but it experienced a sharp downturn in the mid-1990s.
Thailand was formerly called Siam.
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.
As civilian president, Min Aung Hlaing has had red-carpet welcomes in bloc members Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2026
The world’s biggest and longest-running song contest is coming to Asia, with eleven countries competing in Bangkok, Thailand on Saturday.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
Only 11 countries are taking part in this first Eurovision Asia contest – host Thailand, along with Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
In the Asia contest, this could see viewers from Cambodia and Thailand, who clashed over their border last year, voting against each other, Blecher noted.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
And it’s not just stuff from China—there’s stuff from South Korea and Thailand and Japan too.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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