Balkan

American

[bawl-kuhn] / ˈbɔl kən /

adjective

pertaining to the Balkan States or their inhabitants.
pertaining to the Balkan Peninsula.
pertaining to the Balkan Mountains.

noun

the Balkans. Balkan States.

Balkan British

/ ˈbɔːlkən /

adjective

of, denoting, or relating to the Balkan States or their inhabitants, the Balkan Peninsula, or the Balkan Mountains

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Balkanite noun
trans-Balkan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Balkan

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Balkan nation, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and was officially recognised by Fifa and Uefa in 2016, hosts Turkey in Tuesday's play-off.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Yet the Balkan nation stand one win away from a place in the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States after emerging triumphant in a seven-goal thriller against Slovakia in Bratislava.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

But even before the Balkan Five played a single second together, the strategy was already making waves across college basketball.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

He previously worked for Reuters, covering the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Dressed in a Balkan costume of vest, ballooning trousers, and high leather boots, the immigrant carries his possessions bundled on a stick.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023