Hawaiian Kingdom

[ huh-wahy-uhn king-duhm, -wah-yuhn ]

noun

1. a former sovereign nation of the North Pacific formed in 1795, which by 1810 comprised the entire Hawaiian archipelago: overthrown in 1893 by an illegal coup d’état led in large part by Americans with business interests in Hawaii.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Hawaiian Kingdom¹

First recorded in 1840–45

Example Sentences

Little remains to remind a visitor that this was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 19th century under King Kamehameha II. But the flames didn’t claim everything.

From Los Angeles Times

Little remains to remind a visitor that this was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom in the early 19th century under King Kamehameha II. But the flames didn’t claim everything.

From Los Angeles Times

She had been put there by American businessmen backed by the United States military, which had overthrown the Hawaiian Kingdom, an internationally recognized sovereign nation.

From Salon

Marines, overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom.

From Seattle Times

He pointed to the 1893 overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom that led to an “oligarchy” of businessmen, sugar barons and large landowners lasting decades.

From New York Times