plural Khmer or Khmers
1
: a member of an aboriginal people of Cambodia
2
: the Mon-Khmer language of the Khmer people that is the official language of Cambodia
Khmer adjective

Examples of Khmer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The health department is providing the drink test kits to businesses and organizations by way of an online request form, which is available in English, Spanish, Tagalog and Khmer. Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023 The earlier version also referred imprecisely to the number of people killed by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. New York Times, 1 Sep. 2023 When Vietnam ousted the Khmer Rouge from power in 1979, Hun Sen quickly became a senior member of the new Cambodian government installed by Vietnam and eventually helped bring an end to three decades of civil war. Time, 22 Aug. 2023 The group’s site also provides links to resources available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Khmer and Vietnamese. Emma Fox, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2023 Its three-week tour of Southeast Asia, in association with Ariodante, begins in Jakarta before heading to Sangiran and Cambodia to explore the remnants of the Khmer Empire, including the temples of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, and Ta Prohm. Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2023 From there, people informed her about the Arizona Khmer Facebook group. The Arizona Republic, 9 Aug. 2023 Latchford’s alleged thefts began in the 1970s — a period when Cambodia was heavily bombed by the United States during the Vietnam War and suffered through the brutal four-year Khmer Rouge regime — and continued into the 2000s. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 3 Aug. 2023 Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge fighter, has long maintained tight control of most of Cambodia's institutions. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 27 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Khmer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

northern or western dialect Khmer khmε:r, a self-designation (standard Khmer khmaε)

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Khmer was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near Khmer

Cite this Entry

“Khmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Khmer. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

Khmer

noun
: a member of a native people of Cambodia

More from Merriam-Webster on Khmer

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