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United Arab Emirates

American  
[yoo-na-tid ar-uhb uh-meer-its, em-er-its] / juˈnæ tɪd ˈær əb əˈmɪər ɪts, ˈɛm ər ɪts /

noun

(usually used with a singular verb)
  1. an independent federation in E Arabia, formed in 1971, now comprising seven emirates on the southern coast formerly, Pirate Coast, thenTrucial Coast of the Persian Gulf, formerly under British protection: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah (joined 1972), and Fujairah. About 32,300 sq. mi. (83,657 sq. km). Abu Dhabi. U.A.E., UAE


United Arab Emirates British  

plural noun

  1. Former name (until 1971): Trucial States, UAE. a group of seven emirates in SW Asia, on the Persian Gulf: consists of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Qaiwain, Ras el Khaimah, and Fujairah; a former British protectorate; became fully independent in 1971; consists mostly of flat desert, with mountains in the east; rich petroleum resources. Official language: Arabic. Official religion: Muslim. Currency: dirham. Capital: Abu Dhabi. Pop: 5 473 972 (2013 est). Area: 83 600 sq km (32 300 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

United Arab Emirates Cultural  
  1. A federation of seven kingdoms on the Persian Gulf coast of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered to the east by Oman, the south and west by Saudi Arabia, and the northwest by Qatar.


Discover More

Oil reserves have been exploited since the early 1960s.

Once the domain of pirates, the area was subdued by the British in 1820. It was a British protectorate from 1892 until the late 1960s.

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.

See Examples For:

And while serving in government, Noem adviser Corey Lewandowski reportedly tried to persuade Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to hire him on the side.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

Vanguard also reported a fire on board another tanker on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, about 40km east of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

When it was first formed in 2015, the Saudi-led coalition consisted of nine nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain along with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Senegal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

The Milan-based lender announced in May it planned to sell part of its Russian subsidiary to a "well-established private investor in the United Arab Emirates", while keeping part of its payments business in the country.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Poppy had told Liyana she would like the men’s elegant clothing in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates better.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye

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