Thailand

American  

[tahy-land, -luhnd] / ˈtaɪˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

1. 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.

2. Also called Gulf of Siam.  Gulf of. an arm of the South China Sea, S of Thailand.

---

Thailand British  

/ ˈtaɪˌlænd /

noun

1. 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)

2. Former name: Gulf of Siam.  an arm of the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and Indochina

---

Thailand Cultural  

1. Constitutional monarchy in southern Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma to the west and northwest, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the southeast, and the Gulf of Siam (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Malaysia to the south. Its capital and largest city is Bangkok.

---

Discover More

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

Neither has Kok An, the senator, and the owner of the Crown Casino in Chrey Thom, who is wanted in Thailand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Ekniti Nitithanprapas, finance minister of net-energy importer Thailand, said at an IMF panel that the conflict will change the way companies do business.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

China, Japan and South Korea have some protection thanks to large energy stockpiles, but countries like Indonesia and Thailand have more limited reserves and are at more immediate risk of facing shortages.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

People in Thailand have also been asked to keep air conditioning at 26-27C and to conserve fuel by carpooling or using public transport.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

For three days and two nights we ride the ocean waves in the Gulf of Thailand, swaying and rocking as if in a wooden coffin.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung