Zimbabwe

[ zim-bahb-wey, -wee ]

/ zɪmˈbɑb weɪ, -wi /

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noun

a republic in southern Africa: a former British colony and part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; gained independence 1980. 150,330 sq. mi. (389,362 sq. km). Capital: Harare.Formerly Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia.

the site of stone ruins (Great Zimbabwe ) discovered c1870 in Rhodesia, probably built by a Bantu people, consisting of three main groups of ruins, and dating between the 9th and 15th centuries a.d.

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OTHER WORDS FROM Zimbabwe

Zim·bab·we·an, adjective, noun

Words nearby Zimbabwe

Zille, zillion, zillionaire, Zilpah, zimarra, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean, Zimbalist, zimbalon, Zimmer, zin

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

How to use Zimbabwe in a sentence

After the publication of Mind the Gap, someone reached out to me who is a student in Zimbabwe.
Medical Schools Usually Don't Teach How Conditions Look on Different Skin Tones. Malone Mukwende Is Trying to Change That|Angelina Jolie|June 22, 2021|Time
They traveled as far as Zimbabwe, inspiring citizens last August who were campaigning against a widespread and brutal crackdown by state security agents on opposition party members and activists, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
#BlackLivesMatter continues to inspire Zimbabwe’s online activists|Farai Shawn Matiashe|June 4, 2021|Quartz
Coventry, a former Olympic swimmer from Zimbabwe, said she personally supports the commission’s recommendations and decision to uphold the rule.
Olympic officials uphold rule that bars athlete protests, ignoring U.S. calls for change|Rick Maese|April 21, 2021|Washington Post
Katty Kay, the British broadcaster and journalist, started out in life thinking she was going to go into economics, and, after a chance meeting in Zimbabwe, decided to go into news and has never looked back.
The BBC’s Katty Kay Shuts Down Men Who ‘Tell Me to Shut Up’|Eugene Robinson|January 23, 2021|Ozy

Tourism earnings help fund wildlife conservation programs in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe says it won’t allow mining in national parks. Conservationists want it in writing|Tawanda Karombo|September 10, 2020|Quartz
There are 13 other countries on the list, including Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Iraq.
How to Cut Off ISIS Terror Tycoons|Jamie Dettmer|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While Zimbabwe was ordinary, it was also powerfully captivating.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unlike my peers who were mostly going to Britain or Spain, I chose Zimbabwe.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And my beloved Zimbabwe has sunk from a promising beacon into an abyss of greed and dictatorship.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A few days after graduation from college, I rushed back to Zimbabwe.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was the ancient city of Zimboe, whereof the lonely ruins are known to us moderns as Zimbabwe.
Elissa|H. Rider Haggard
Then, again, it is only twelve miles from Victoria to Zimbabwe.
Through South Africa|Henry M. Stanley
He made the first detailed examination of the Great Zimbabwe.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 6|Various
There seems little doubt that Zimbabwe was the work of a prehistoric and long-forgotten people.
An African Adventure|Isaac F. Marcosson
The big hill at Zimbabwe provided the residence of "She," the lovely and disappearing lady who had to be obeyed.
An African Adventure|Isaac F. Marcosson

British Dictionary definitions for Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

/ (zɪmˈbɑːbwɪ, -weɪ) /

noun

a country in SE Africa, formerly a self-governing British colony founded in 1890 by the British South Africa Company, which administered the country until a self-governing colony was established in 1923; joined with Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi) as the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1953 to 1963; made a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) under the leadership of Ian Smith in 1965 on the basis of White minority rule; proclaimed a republic in 1970; in 1976 the principle of Black majority rule was accepted and in 1978 a transitional government was set up; gained independence under Robert Mugabe in 1980; effectively a one-party state since 1987; a member of the Commonwealth until 2003, when it withdrew as a result of conflict with other members. Official language: English. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: Zimbabwe dollar. Capital: Harare. Pop: 13 182 908 (2013 est). Area: 390 624 sq km (150 820 sq miles)Former names: (until 1964) Southern Rhodesia, (1964–79) Rhodesia

Also: Great Zimbabwe a ruined fortified settlement in Zimbabwe, which at its height, in the 15th century, was probably the capital of an empire covering SE Africa

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 Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

[ (zim-bahb-way) ]

Landlocked republic in south-central Africa, bordered by Botswana to the west, Zambia to the north, Mozambique to the east, and South Africa to the south. Formerly called Rhodesia. Harare (formerly called Salisbury) is the capital and largest city.

notes for Zimbabwe

A British colony from the end of the nineteenth century to 1965 and then (1965–1980) a renegade state ruled by a white minority, Zimbabwe became independent in 1980.