a republic in SE Europe, occupying the S part of the Balkan Peninsula and many islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas; site of two of Europe's earliest civilizations (the Minoan and Mycenaean); in the classical era divided into many small independent city-states, the most important being Athens and Sparta; part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires; passed under Turkish rule in the late Middle Ages; became an independent kingdom in 1827; taken over by a military junta (1967–74); the monarchy was abolished in 1973; became a republic in 1975; a member of the European Union. Official language: Greek. Official religion: Eastern (Greek) Orthodox. Currency: euro. Capital: Athens. Pop: 11 159 773 (2017 est). Area: 131 944 sq km (50 944 sq miles)
Modern Greek name: EllásRelated adjective(s): Hellenic
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
Greece
(grēs),USA pronunciation n.
- Place NamesAncient Greek, Hellas. Modern Greek, Ellas. a republic in S Europe at the S end of the Balkan Peninsula. 10,583,126;
50,147 sq. mi. (129,880 sq. km). Cap.: Athens. - Place Namesa city in W New York. 16,177.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'Greece' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Acarnania
- Achaea
- Actium
- Aegean Sea
- Aegina
- Aetolia
- Agrinion
- Alaric
- Albania
- Alexandroupolis
- Alexandroúpolis
- Arcadia
- Arcado-Cyprian
- Areopagus
- Argolis
- Argos
- Asine
- Athenian
- Athens
- Athos
- Attica
- Aulis
- Bacchus
- Balkan States
- Balkan War
- Barbarossa I
- Barbarossa II
- Bayezid II
- Bible
- Boeotia
- Boeotian
- Cabiri
- Calydon
- Castalia
- Cephalonia
- Chaeronea
- Chalcidice
- Chalcis
- Chios
- Chirico
- Constantine I
- Constantine II
- Corfu
- Corinth
- Crete
- Cyclades
- agon
- agora
- amphictyony
- ancient