Punjab
Americannoun
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a former province in NW British India: now divided between India and Pakistan.
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a state in NW India. 47,456 sq. mi. (122,911 sq. km). Chandigarh.
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a province in NE Pakistan. 19,445 sq. mi. (50,362 sq. km). Lahore.
noun
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(formerly) a province in NW British India: divided between India and Pakistan in 1947
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a state of NW India: reorganized in 1966 as a Punjabi-speaking state, a large part forming the new state of Haryana; mainly agricultural. Capital: Chandigarh. Pop: 24 289 296 (2001). Area: 50 255 sq km (19 403 sq miles)
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a province of W Pakistan: created in 1947. Capital: Lahore. Pop: 82 710 000 (2003 est). Area: 205 344 sq km (127 595 sq miles)
Etymology
Origin of Punjab
First recorded in 1830–35; from Hindi, Urdu Panjāb, from Persian panj âb, literally “(land of) five waters, five rivers” (the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas, tributaries of the Indus)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hundreds eventually spilled on to National Highway 44, a major route between Delhi and Punjab, blocking traffic for more than 15 hours.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
In his home village in Punjab, Bishnoi is admired rather than reviled for many of the crimes attributed to him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The film was later retitled Punjab '95 - a reference to the year Khalra disappeared.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The law enforcement agencies arrested Khan's sisters Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan from Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province.
From Barron's
There were Sikhs from the Punjab who never cut their hair but tucked it all up under their turbans.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
