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Meaning & use

Belarus

proper noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌbeləˈruːs/
US/ˌbeləˈruːs/

Meanings

  1. proper nounproper

    A country in eastern Europe, bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, whose capital is Minsk.

    Grammar: Used as a name, so it takes no article: 'She lives in Belarus,' not 'the Belarus.'

    Patterns

    • live in Belarus
    • travel to Belarus
    • the capital of Belarus

    Her grandparents moved to Belarus when they were children.

    Minsk is the largest city in Belarus.

    The team flew to Belarus for the match on Friday.

  2. proper nounproper

    The government and people of this country, especially in political or news contexts.

    Grammar: Often used with a singular verb when it means the country as a political actor: 'Belarus has agreed to talks.'

    Patterns

    • Belarus has agreed to something
    • Belarus and Russia
    • relations with Belarus

    Belarus has signed a new trade agreement with its neighbors.

    Talks between Belarus and the European Union continued for two days.

Common combinations

the capital of Belarus
The capital of Belarus is Minsk.
travel to Belarus
You need a visa to travel to Belarus from some countries.
in eastern Europe
Belarus lies in eastern Europe, between Poland and Russia.
Belarusian border
The Belarusian border is about an hour's drive from here.

Synonyms and how they differ

Belorussia
An older name for the same country, now rare and dated; use 'Belarus' in modern writing.

Word family

Belarusian adjective
Relating to Belarus, its people, or its language.
Belarusian noun
A person from Belarus, or the language spoken there.
Minsk proper noun
The capital city of Belarus.

Commonly confused: Belarus or Belorussia? Belarus or Belarusian?

Belarus vs Belorussia

This is an old name for Belarus; it is not wrong historically, but 'Belarus' is the standard modern name.

Belarus vs Belarusian

This is the adjective or the person or the language, not the country itself: 'a Belarusian city,' but 'the country of Belarus.'

Practice

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