Ukraine

[ yoo-kreyn, -krahyn, yoo-kreyn ]

/ yuˈkreɪn, -ˈkraɪn, ˈyu kreɪn /

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noun

a republic in southeastern Europe: rich agricultural and industrial region. 223,090 sq. mi. (603,700 sq. km). Capital: Kyiv.

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Also called U·kra·i·na

[oo-kruh-yee-nuh] /u krʌˈyi nə/ . Formerly U·krain·i·an So·vi·et So·cial·ist Re·pub·lic [yoo-krey-nee-uhn soh-vee-it soh-shuh-list ri-puhb-lik] /yuˈkreɪ ni ən ˈsoʊ viˌɪt ˈsoʊ ʃə lɪst rɪˈpʌb lɪk/ .

Words nearby Ukraine

Ukiah, UKIP, ukiyo-e, UK Overseas Territory, Ukr., Ukraine, Ukrainian, ukulele, UL, ʿulama, ulan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

UKRAINE VS. THE UKRAINE

Is it Ukraine or the Ukraine?

The official name of the country is simply Ukraine—it does not use the word “the.” The use of the word the when referring to the country (once widespread but now less common) is thought to have been influenced by the period of its history when it was part of the Soviet Union. During this time, it was called the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, before gaining full independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Most Ukrainians object to the use of the before the name because it can suggest that the nation is not fully independent.

How to use Ukraine in a sentence

So while Zelensky may not call out China as a threat, he knows that China can't be relied upon in a Russia-Ukraine crisis.
The president of Ukraine doesn't consider China a major geopolitical threat|Jonathan Swan|January 31, 2021|Axios
In fact, George Bush, senior Bush, actually made a speech, I think in Kiev, Ukraine, encouraging Ukraine not to pull away from the Soviet Union, not to become independent.
A Former Top Spy Tells All|Nick Fouriezos|January 19, 2021|Ozy
In 2004, Viktor Yushchenko campaigned against a Putin ally for the presidency of Ukraine.
Top chemical weapons watchdog group confirms Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent|Alex Ward|October 7, 2020|Vox
Its cofounder and CEO, Sid Sijbrandij, lives in San Francisco and hails from the Netherlands, and the company was originally founded in Ukraine, the native home of its other cofounder, Dmitriy Zaporozhets.
Want to know how to WFH better? There’s a class for that|Michal Lev-Ram, writer|September 22, 2020|Fortune

Two days later, Ukraine’s deputy energy minister announced that Ukraine had agreed to a major LNG deal with the Americans.
Rick Perry’s Ukrainian Dream|by Simon Shuster, TIME, and Ilya Marritz, WNYC|September 10, 2020|ProPublica
Instead, spa hotels filled up with over 30,000 refugees from the war-troubled Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the only tourist center Ukraine has left on the Black Sea, since Russia annexed Crimea last spring.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
While the world fixated on Ukraine and Syria, a near-genocide ripped through central Africa, to little international fanfare.
The Year’s Most Forgotten Humanitarian Crisis|Nina Strochlic|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
At least 70 percent of the children were adopted from overseas, including Russia, China, Ethiopia and Ukraine.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Putin, because of his acts in Ukraine, he lost Russkiy Mir as a phenomenon.
Rebranding The Land of Mongol Warriors & Ivan The Terrible|Anna Nemtsova|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By this time, however, the state of things in the Ukraine was so alarming that the new king had to hasten to the front.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 4|Various
They had come together to witness a sight never seen in Courtland before—the dread punishment of the Ukraine Cross.
Joan of the Sword Hand|S(amuel) R(utherford) Crockett
There was much talk of getting food from the Ukraine, but this was probably used to keep up popular morale.
Harper's Pictorial Library of the World War, Volume XII|Various
There were great delights at that time in the Ukraine for all valiant souls.
Hania|Henryk Sienkiewicz
Since that was my first time in the Ukraine, I saw the strangest deeds and strangest things.
Hania|Henryk Sienkiewicz

British Dictionary definitions for Ukraine

Ukraine

/ (juːˈkreɪn) /

noun

a republic in SE Europe, on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: ruled by the Khazars (7th–9th centuries), by Ruik princes with the Mongol conquest in the 13th century, then by Lithuania, by Poland, and by Russia; one of the four original republics that formed the Soviet Union in 1922; unilaterally declared independence in 1990, which was recognized in 1991. Consists chiefly of lowlands; economy based on rich agriculture and mineral resources and on the major heavy industries of the Donets Basin. Official language: Ukrainian; Russian is also widely spoken. Religion: believers are mainly Christian. Currency: hryvna. Capital: Kiev. Pop: 44 573 205 (2013 est). Area: 603 700 sq km (231 990 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Ukraine

Ukraine

[ (yooh-krayn, yooh-krayn) ]

Republic in southeastern Europe, bordered by Belarus to the north; Russia to the northeast and east; the Black Sea to the south; Moldova, Romania, and Hungary to the southwest; and Slovakia and Poland to the west; includes the peninsula of Crimea. Kiev is the capital and largest city.

notes for Ukraine

Of the former Soviet republics, it is second to Russia in population.

notes for Ukraine

Ukraine came under a succession of invaders and foreign rulers, including central Asian tribes, the Mongols, Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, Poland, and finally Russia. Under oppressive Polish and Russian rule in the seventeenth century, Ukrainian fugitives, known as Cossacks, organized resistance movements.

notes for Ukraine

A nationalist and cultural revival in the nineteenth century was rewarded after World War I by independence, which was, however, short-lived. Invaded by Russian troops, Ukraine became one of the original Soviet republics in 1922.

notes for Ukraine

Ukraine was traditionally home to a large Jewish population. Many Jews (see also Jews) left Ukraine under oppressive conditions in the nineteenth century, and thousands more were exterminated by the Nazis in World War II.