Crimea

American  

[krahy-mee-uh, kri-] / kraɪˈmi ə, krɪ- /

noun

1. the Crimea, a peninsula in southeastern Ukraine, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

2. a former autonomous republic of the Soviet Union, later a region of Ukraine. About 10,000 sq. mi. (25,900 sq. km).

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Crimea British  

/ kraɪˈmɪə /

noun

1. Russian name: Krym.  a peninsula and autonomous region in Ukraine between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov: a former autonomous republic of the Soviet Union (1921–45), part of the Ukrainian SSR from 1945 until 1991

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Crimea Cultural  

1. Peninsula in the extreme southern Ukraine, bordered by the Black Sea to the east, south, and west.

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Discover More

As a former part of the Russian empire, Crimea was one of the strongholds of opposition to the Soviet government after the Russian Revolution.

It was occupied by German troops from 1941 to 1945.

The Crimean War of the 1850s, fought between Russian forces and the allied armies of Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia, was the scene of the battle described in “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Other Word Forms

• Crimean adjective

Example Sentences

Ukraine’s first declared use of the Flamingo was in August, against a Russian naval base in Crimea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

He is known for his love of leading from near the front lines, including in raids on Russia-occupied Crimea or logistics operations around the embattled town of Pokrovsk in Ukraine’s east.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

A senior archaeologist from the museum told the BBC that Butyagin had followed the only path available for Russian archaeologists working in Crimea.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

Both the archaeologist and the Hermitage insist all their finds remain in Crimea as they are transferred to the Eastern Crimean Museum in Kerch.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

In March, the Red Army began fighting in Crimea, a huge peninsula in the Black Sea on the southern edge of Ukraine, the Soviet state that produced most of the nation’s food.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein