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Definition of macao

macao

/məˈkaʊ/
Plural:macaos
•
Adjective:Macanese
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macao Lexical Profile

• noun

1

A special administrative region and major port city on the southern coast of China along the Pearl River Delta, formerly a Portuguese colony and internationally renowned for its tourism and casino industry.

2

A historical gambling card game similar to baccarat and vingt-et-un, in which players draw cards in an attempt to reach a point total of nine.

Example

"In the nineteenth-century novel, the aristocrats spent their evenings playing macao in the drawing room."

3

An archaic variant spelling of macaw, a large, brightly colored long-tailed parrot native to the tropical forests of Central and South America.

Example

"Early European naturalists documented the scarlet plumage of the tropical macao."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for macao

• Rhymes for macao

• Nearby Words

macabre
macadamia
macambo
macao
macaque
macara
macara river

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Macao. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/macao
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