Damascus

[ duh-mas-kuhs ]

/ dəˈmæs kəs /

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noun

a city in and the capital of Syria, in the SW part: reputed to be the oldest continuously existing city in the world.

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French Damas.

Words nearby Damascus

Damara, Damaraland, Damas, Damascene, Damascenus, Damascus, Damascus steel, damask, damask rose, Damastes, Damasus I

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Damascus in a sentence

It is inviting popular international vloggers and social media celebrities — some of whom boast millions of subscribers — to visit the country and share posts and videos depicting normalcy in cities like Damascus and Aleppo.
No Change for Syria, Despite Elections|Sean Culligan|May 27, 2021|Ozy
Since the war wound down in 2019, a strict sanctions regime has seen Damascus cut off from the international financial world.
Syria’s Latest Economic Trick: Loot Its Refugees|Charu Kasturi|April 2, 2021|Ozy
More than 1,000 died in a single sarin attack in Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, in August 2013, and nearly 100 died in another sarin attack in Khan Sheikhun in April 2017.
What Assad’s chemical weapons really accomplished|Graeme Wood|February 19, 2021|Washington Post
So Funk has spent the last four weekends at his home in Damascus, watching college football from the couch — usually Army, where his younger brother plays, or the team scheduled to face Maryland the following week.
Maryland’s Jake Funk has become numb to pain so the tumult of 2020 can’t faze him|Emily Giambalvo|December 11, 2020|Washington Post

There are even sources mentioning how a Spanish Templar commanded the Muslim defending forces of Damascus in 1229 AD.
History of the Crusades: Origins, Politics, and Crusaders|Dattatreya Mandal|March 23, 2020|Realm of History
Chérif was arrested in Paris in January 2005 as he was about to board a plane to Damascus along with a man named Thamer Bouchnak.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I jokingly asked him how he got the award: “Did you dress up like Lady Gaga in Damascus?”
How Aasif Mandvi Became Jon Stewart’s Favorite Jihadi|Dean Obeidallah|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the valley hosts a hodgepodge of homegrown Syrian-American groups—some with close ties to the government in Damascus.
Welcome to Assadville, USA|Christopher Moraff|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rowaida Yousef, as she calls herself, used to be a math teacher and citizen journalist in Damascus.
Escaping Assad’s Rape Prisons: A Survivor Tells Her Story|Jamie Dettmer|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her arrest came at a checkpoint in Damascus in June 2013, when soldiers spotted an audio recorder in her bag.
Escaping Assad’s Rape Prisons: A Survivor Tells Her Story|Jamie Dettmer|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John of Damascus, an important Greek theologian of the eighth century, often cited by Thomas.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
Damascus is undone, she is put to flight, trembling hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her as a woman in labour.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the strong holds of Benadad.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Damascus is a considerable city, and in the time of the Persian empire was nearly the most distinguished place in that country.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
It was decided that our Hamath friend should go at once to Damascus, while I awaited word from him whether my presence was needed.
Silver Chimes in Syria|W. S. Nelson

British Dictionary definitions for Damascus

Damascus

/ (dəˈmɑːskəs, -ˈmæs-) /

noun

the capital of Syria, in the southwest: reputedly the oldest city in the world, having been inhabited continuously since before 2000 bc Pop: 2 317 000 (2005 est)Arabic names: Dimashq, Esh Sham (ɛʃ ʃæm)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Damascus (1 of 2)

Damascus

An ancient city in Syria (and still its capital today). The Apostle Paul, then an official called Saul, was on his way from Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem) to Damascus to arrest Christians (see also Christian). He underwent a dramatic conversion on the road, in which he fell from his horse, saw a dazzling light, and “heard a voice saying unto him, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? ... I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.’”

notes for Damascus

The “road to Damascus” is an image for a sudden turning point in a person's life.

Cultural definitions for Damascus (2 of 2)

Damascus

Capital of Syria and largest city in the country, located in southwestern Syria; the country's administrative, financial, and communications center.

notes for Damascus

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Damascus is widely regarded as the world's oldest city.