zaire
noun
a paper money and monetary unit of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, equal to 100 makuta.
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zaire
1 American
[zah-eer, zah-eer]
/ zɑˈɪər, ˈzɑ ɪər /
noun
-
zaire
plural
Zaire
2
American
[zah-eer, zah-eer]
/ zɑˈɪər, ˈzɑ ɪər /
Or
Zaïre
noun
-
Republic of Zaire, a former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
-
official name within the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the Congo River (the term Congo River is more widely used elsewhere).
Zaïre
British
/ zɑːˈɪə /
noun
-
the former name (1971–97) of the Democratic Republic of Congo
-
(formerly) the Zaïrian name (1971–97) for the (River) Congo
Zaire
Cultural
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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:
A vessel took us to Cayenne, where we secured a passage on board one of the steamers of the French Transatlantic Aspinwall line, the Ville de St. Na- zaire, which conveyed us to Europe.
From The Survivors of the Chancellor by Jules Verne
Approved vaccines are only effective against the Zaire strain, which is responsible for the largest-known Ebola outbreak to date.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
When Quenda joined Chelsea, he was accompanied by his father, mother, sisters, friends, agents and his godfather Basaula Lemba, a former top-flight footballer in Portugal who also won 10 caps for Zaire.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The Democratic Republic of Congo stymied Portugal in its first visit to the tournament since appearing as Zaire in 1974.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Vaccines targeting Zaire ebolavirus have proven highly effective, and two antiviral treatments have reduced mortality rates from 50% to 35%.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 22, 2026
Ninety percent oX the people who come down with Ebola Zaire died of it.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
The Ervebo vaccine does help protect against the Zaïre species of Ebola but currently there are no proven vaccines or treatments for Bundibugyo.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The limited testing that was available in the province was testing for the Zaïre strain and not coming up positive.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
THE BUILDUP: Foreman and Ali spent much of the middle of 1974 training in Zaïre, getting acclimated to its tropical climate.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 4, 2016
This persuaded the 2,000 or so rebels and, presumably, their Angolan and Cuban supporters as well that the cost of winning a war against Zaïre would be too high.
From Time Magazine Archive
As a rule it is rash to prophesy; but, if that rule has any exceptions, this is certainly one of them—hundred years hence a literal translation of Zaïre will not be holding the English boards.
From Books and Characters French and English by Giles Lytton Strachey
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.
