Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Switzerland

geographical name Swit·zer·land \ ˈswit-sər-lənd \
variants: or French Suisse play \ˈswʸēs\ or German Schweiz play \ˈshvīts\ or Italian Svizzera play \ˈzvēt-tsā-rä\ or Latin Helvetia play \hel-ˈvē-sh(ē-)ə\
See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

Definition of Switzerland

landlocked country (a federal republic) in western Europe in the Alps; capital Bern area 15,940 square miles (41,285 square kilometers), population 7,870,000
see also 1swiss

Learn More about switzerland

  1. Nglish: Translation of Switzerland for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of Switzerland for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up Switzerland? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

petard

play

a case containing an explosive

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image564383649
12 Words from All Over the Map

Some words say exactly where they're from

alt-5b032d1aef0e9
'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde
A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

image1481409085
9 Words from the Magical Realm

When language is magic

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

spring-flowers
May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz
image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game