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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:

The Citizens were now owned by Sheikh Mansour, the United Arab Emirates deputy prime minister and a member of its ruling family.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026

Al-Wasl of the United Arab Emirates also opted not to fly to Saudi Arabia to play Al-Nassr, and the match will be rearranged.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Last week, Kremlin said the next round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States were planned to resume in November in the United Arab Emirates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Abu Dhabi and the other members of the United Arab Emirates are deeply economically enmeshed with the United States and heavily dependent on America for national security protection.

From Slate ● Oct. 30, 2026

Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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