Madeira

American  

[muh-deer-uh, -dair-uh, mah-de-ruh] / məˈdɪər ə, -ˈdɛər ə, mɑˈdɛ rə /

noun

1. a group of eight islands off the NW coast of Africa, part of Portugal. 308 sq. mi. (798 sq. km). Funchal.

2. the chief island of this group. 286 sq. mi. (741 sq. km).

3. (often lowercase) a rich, strong white or amber wine, resembling sherry, made there.

4. (often lowercase) a similar wine made elsewhere.

5. a river in W Brazil flowing NE to the Amazon: chief tributary of the Amazon. 2,100 miles (3,380 km) long.

---

Madeira British  

/ məˈdɪərə, məˈðəirə /

noun

1. a group of volcanic islands in the N Atlantic, west of Morocco: since 1976 an autonomous region of Portugal; consists of the chief island, Madeira, Porto Santo, and the uninhabited Deserta and Selvagen Islands. Capital: Funchal. Pop: 245 012 (2001). Area: 797 sq km (311 sq miles)

2. a river in W Brazil, flowing northeast to the Amazon below Manaus. Length: 3241 km (2013 miles)

3. a rich strong fortified white wine made on Madeira

---

Example Sentences

The PCC is a household name in villages like Urucurituba, 1,600 miles north of São Paulo’s squalid jails, where the vast milky Madeira River cuts through the rainforest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

In early 2008, and again in early 2018, a disease killed about 93% of D. africanum off Tenerife and La Palma, and about 90% off the islands of neighboring Madeira.

From Science Daily • Dec. 12, 2025

Local media reports say the ship was on its way back to the Canary Islands from the Portuguese island of Madeira when the incident happened.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

The U.S.-listed miner plans another site at Fazendinha, close to where the Madeira meets the Amazon River, Bloise said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

It is my intention to write shortly and desire her to come to me at Madeira.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë