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
He was only booked and Zaire lost 3-0; they were allowed home but President Mobutu cut their funding.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 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
Existing Ebola vaccines, developed between 2018 and 2019, are only effective against the Zaire strain, which caused previous major outbreaks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 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
“If you look at pictures of lungs from a monkey with Ebola Zaire, you see that the lungs are fogged with Ebola. Have you seen those pictures?”
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
DR Congo - which is currently facing its 17th outbreak of Ebola - is more familiar with the Zaïre species.
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
In addition to Morocco, at least two black African states, Senegal and the Ivory Coast, seem prepared to send some troops into Zaïre.
From Time Magazine Archive
The East, with its sultans, its harems, its sultanas, and its jealousies, strongly arrested his imagination, and furnished the subjects of some of his finest pieces; witness Mahomet, Bajazet, Tamerlane, and Zaïre.
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 363, January, 1846 by Various
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