Quebec

UK: /kwɪˈbɛk/, /kəˈbɛk/ US: (kwi bek′, ki-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

Que•bec  (kwi bek′, ki-), n. 

1. Place Names a province in E Canada. 6,141,491; 594,860 sq. mi. (1,540,685 sq. km).
2. Place Names a seaport in and the capital of this province, on the St. Lawrence: capital of New France from 1663 to 1759, when it was taken by the English;
   wartime conferences 1943, 1944. 177,082.

a word used in communications to represent the letter Q. French, Qué•bec  (kā bek′) (for 1, 2).

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Quebec / kwɪˈbɛk kə- kɛ-/ noun

1. a province of E Canada: the largest Canadian province; a French colony from 1608 to 1763, when it passed to Britain; lying mostly on the Canadian Shield, it has vast areas of forest and extensive tundra and is populated mostly in the plain around the St Lawrence River. Capital: Quebec. Pop: 7 903 001 (2011). Area: 1 540 680 sq km (594 860 sq miles)
   French name: Québec
   Abbreviation: PQ
2. a port in E Canada, capital of the province of Quebec, situated on the St Lawrence River: founded in 1608 by Champlain; scene of the battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759), by which the British won Canada from the French. Pop: 516 622 (2011)
   Official and French name: Québec
3. a code word for the letter q