Canberra

IPA/kˈanbəɹə/
KK[kˌænbˈɛrə]IPA/kˌænbˈɛrə/

Canberra — noun

1. the city in southeastern Australia that serves as the country's national capital

1.nounA2
Definition

the city in southeastern Australia that serves as the country's national capital, located inland away from the coast and housing the federal parliament and government departments

Example

Jude flew to Canberra last week for a conference on climate policy.

Canberra is known for its national museums, art galleries, and wide open parks.

common collocations with 'known for' — museums, galleries, parks

Common collocations
  • in Canberra
  • move to Canberra
  • Canberra is located
  • Canberra-based
  • the Canberra Times
Synonyms
  • capital

    a general term for any city that serves as the seat of government; Canberra is one specific capital

  • seat of government

    a formal phrase describing Canberra's political function; less commonly used as a synonym in everyday speech

Usage Note

As a proper noun, Canberra is always capitalised and does not usually take an article (e.g. 'She lives in Canberra', never 'the Canberra'). It can, however, take the definite article when the name is pre-modified ('the Canberra of the 1950s').

Common Mistakes

Canberra is the capital of Australia and it is located on the coast.
Canberra is the capital of Australia and it is located inland, away from the coast.
Canberra is not a coastal city; it lies about 150 km inland.
I visited the Canberra last year.
I visited Canberra last year.
As a proper noun, Canberra does not take the definite article in most contexts.

Word family

  • Canberran
    nounC1
  • Canberran
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Canberra is the specific proper name of Australia's capital city. The word 'capital' is a general term for any city that serves as the administrative centre of a country — Paris is the capital of France, Tokyo is the capital of Japan. 'Seat of government' is a more formal phrase that emphasises the political function rather than the city itself; it can refer to a building or a city. While 'capital' and 'seat of government' often overlap, they are not always identical: Amsterdam is the constitutional capital of the Netherlands, but the seat of government is in The Hague. For Canberra specifically, all three terms converge: it is both the capital city and the seat of the Australian government.

Canberra ↗capital ↗seat of government

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Australian Capital Territory
  • Canberra-based company
  • the city of Canberra

Prepositions

Etymology

Ngunnawal (Aboriginal Australian)English

The name 'Canberra' comes from the Aboriginal Ngunnawal word 'kambera' or 'ngambri', which is thought to mean 'meeting place'. The area had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for tens of thousands of years before European settlement. When the site was chosen for Australia's new federal capital in 1908, the name 'Canberra' was formally adopted in 1913, chosen for its Aboriginal heritage and its meaning of gathering — a fitting symbol for a purpose-built capital intended to unite the nation.