Puerto Rico

[ pwer-tuh-ree-koh, pwer-toh, pawr-tuh; Spanish pwer-taw ree-kaw ]

noun
  1. an island in the central West Indies: a commonwealth associated with the U.S. 3,435 sq. mi. (8,895 sq. km). Capital: San Juan. Abbreviation: P.R., PR

Other words from Puerto Rico

  • Puer·to Ri·can, adjective, noun

Words Nearby Puerto Rico

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Puerto Rico in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

/ (ˈpwɜːtəʊ ˈriːkəʊ, ˈpwɛə-) /


noun
  1. an autonomous commonwealth (in association with the US) occupying the smallest and easternmost of the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean: one of the most densely populated areas in the world; ceded by Spain to the US in 1899. Currency: US dollar. Capital: San Juan. Pop: 3 674 209 (2013 est). Area: 9104 sq km (3515 sq miles): Former name (until 1932): Porto Rico Abbreviation: PR

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

Cultural definitions for Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

[ (pwer-tuh, pawr-tuh ree-koh) ]


Island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Miami, Florida. Its capital and largest city is San Juan.

Notes for Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. Citizens of Puerto Rico are also American citizens but do not vote in federal elections and do not pay federal taxes on their local earnings.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.