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

Two Welsh teenagers have been arrested in Thailand prompting a police investigation into the "circumstances" behind their trip.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

Manufacturing PMI readings for export powerhouses Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, as well as Southeast Asian economies, including Thailand and Vietnam, are due Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

With a modest budget and a cast of mostly rookie actors, Dear You tells the story of a young man from a southern Chinese village who sets off to Thailand to find his grandfather.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026

Treasure Factory, a Tokyo-based second-hand store operator, now has six stores in Thailand and three in Taiwan.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Newcomers without friends or family spend their first night in Thailand in the hollow, wooden church.

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