Cairo

American  

[kahy-roh] / ˈkaɪ roʊ /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Egypt, in the N part on the E bank of the Nile.

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Cairo British  

/ ˈkaɪrəʊ /

noun

1. Arabic name: El Qahira.  the capital of Egypt, on the Nile: the largest city in Africa and in the Middle East; industrial centre; site of the university and mosque of Al Azhar (founded in 972). Pop: 11 146 000 (2005 est)

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Cairo Cultural  

1. The capital of Egypt (see also Egypt) and largest city in the country; a major port just south of the Nile Delta in the northeast corner of Africa.

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Discover More

Cairo, the historical center of Egyptian power, was the home of the pharaohs. The pyramids and the Sphinx are located nearby in suburban Giza, also known as Al Jizah.

Other Word Forms

• Cairene noun

Example Sentences

Last week, a Hamas delegation met Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo to give its initial response to a proposal from the US-led Board of Peace for Palestinian groups to decommission their weapons.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Egypt, though not directly involved in the war, has contended with its repercussions on energy, fertilizer and food prices, not to mention disruptions to shipping income Cairo receives through the Suez Canal.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

One traveler said she had to “self-evacuate” from Kuwait, reportedly driving for eight hours to reach King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before flying to Cairo.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

He joined the company as a reporter in Cairo and lived in Iran as a child, so he is back in familiar territory after long assignments in Asia and New York.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Before the Agricultural Revolution, the human population of the entire planet was smaller than that of today’s Cairo.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari