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.

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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

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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.

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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

She saw the tragedy as an "opportunity" to travel the world as a digital nomad, spending months at a time in places like Australia, Bali, Malta, and Thailand.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

The company also plans to invest $5.5 billion in Singapore through 2029 and over $1 billion in Thailand over two years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

After hours spent in the thick pollution-choking parts of northern Thailand, Pon Doikam gets home and blows her burning nose to find blood clots spattered across the tissue.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Bangladesh has shut universities and capped fuel prices; Pakistan has introduced a shortened workweek; and Thailand ordered civil servants to work from home.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

Not on the normal tourist route, it was clean and cozy, with dark-painted walls, a giant silver-sequined elephant and other decorations from Thailand, and dim lighting, which his eyes preferred.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady