Macao

American  

[muh-kou] / məˈkaʊ /

noun

1. a Portuguese overseas territory in S China, in the delta of the Zhu Jiang River and including two small adjacent islands. 6 sq. mi. (16 sq. km).

2. the seaport and capital of this territory.

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Macao British  

/ məˈkaʊ /

noun

1. Portuguese name: Macau.  a special administrative region of China, in the south of the country, across the estuary of the Zhu Jiang from Hong Kong: chief centre of European trade with China in the 18th century; attained partial autonomy in 1976; formerly (until 1999) a Portuguese overseas province under a long-term lease from China, as with Hong Kong (a UK territory until 1997); transit trade with rest of China; tourism and financial services. It retains its own currency, the pataca. Pop: 583 003 (2013 est). Area: 16 sq km (6 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Anta Sports bought the rights to the Fila trademark in China, Hong Kong and Macao in 2009.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Las Vegas Sands declines sharply as adjusted earnings for the Macao market fall short of expectations.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

The company is also positioned for growth in Macao, where it has made investments to improve its business and leisure tourism appeal, Goldstein said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Shunde District in Foshan has been hit hardest, accounting for over 3,600 cases, while additional infections have appeared in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2025

The inhabitants of the Manilas have nothing on those vessels; their cargoes belong entirely to the Chinese, to the Portuguese of Macao, or to the Mexican merchants.

From The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume 29 of 55 Explorations by Early Navigators, Descriptions of the Islands and Their Peoples, Their History and Records of the Catholic Missions, as Related in Contemporaneous Books and Manuscripts, Showing the Political, Economic, Commercial and Religious Conditions of Those Islands from Their Earliest Relations with European Nations to the Close of the Nineteenth Century by Various