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

I was at Mahjong Palace, a stylish mahjong social club with a monthly residency at Macao Trading Co., a Tribeca restaurant and bar.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

The selloff came after adjusted earnings for the key Macao market fell short, in part due to higher events and payroll costs.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 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

While at Macao we visited one of the most respected of the foreigners settled there, Dr. Kane, an English physician, who has for years resided in the colony.

From Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume II (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the Austrian Navy. by Scherzer, Karl Ritter von