Tonkin
Americannoun
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a former state in northern French Indochina, now part of Vietnam.
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Gulf of Tonkin, an arm of the South China Sea, west of Hainan. 300 miles (485 km) long.
noun
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a former state of N French Indochina (1883–1946), on the Gulf of Tonkin: forms the largest part of N Vietnam
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an arm of the South China Sea, bordered by N Vietnam, the Leizhou Peninsula of SW China, and Hainan Island. Length: about 500 km (300 miles)
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.
“This transaction represents a compelling opportunity for Vault shareholders,” said Vault CEO Luke Tonkin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
To do so, they used two isolated incidents of North Vietnamese patrol boats attacking a naval destroyer in the Gulf of Tonkin.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2025
"We were on tenterhooks in the sale room, it just kept going and going, it was wonderful, truly wonderful," said Jennifer Tonkin of auctioneers Bonhams.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
The series compellingly addresses the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the baseless claims of William Westmoreland about impending victory, and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
While McNamara crossed the Potomac into Washington, the action in the Gulf of Tonkin continued.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
