plural Khmer or Khmers
1
: a member of an aboriginal people of Cambodia
2
: the Mon-Khmer language of the Khmer people that is the official language of Cambodia
Khmer adjective

Examples of Khmer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Set on the rim of a volcano, the temple is one of the country’s most important monuments erected by the Khmer people, an ethnic group native to what is now Cambodia. News Desk, Artforum, 20 June 2024 Consider the Khmer Rouge of 1970s Cambodia, which, at the peak of its power, was known to kill people for wearing glasses on the theory that glasses signified the elite intellectual class. David Von Drehle, Washington Post, 17 June 2024 Sam Waterston and Haing S. Ngor (who won an Oscar) star as journalists investigating the war crimes of the Khmer Rouge in this bleak but important film. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 7 June 2024 One of the more extensive photographic records of an authoritarian regime comes from the Khmer Rouge army, which controlled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and whose genocidal purges of minority groups and political opponents led to the murder of almost a quarter of the country’s population. Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 2024 There’s a folk tale about a clever Khmer hero named Thun Chey who brought rice noodles to China. Chantha Nguon, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 According to prosecutors, Latchford started supplying major auction houses and museums with Cambodian antiquities during the country’s oppressive Khmer Rouge regime—and at times falsified the provenance of items to conceal the fact that they were illicitly obtained. Koh Ewe, TIME, 21 May 2024 Cambodians typically only eat chickens or ducks around the big national holidays, such as Khmer New Year in early April — but there are at least 50 million birds being raised in people’s yards. Stephanie Nolen Thomas Cristofoletti, New York Times, 21 May 2024 Grégoire Colin, meanwhile, plays Alain Cariou, a Caldwell stand-in in several ways — those with a working knowledge of the Khmer Rouge will undoubtedly recognize his story — but a character whose objectives are plucked out of Panh’s imagination. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 16 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Khmer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

northern or western dialect Khmer khmε:r, a self-designation (standard Khmer khmaε)

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Khmer was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near Khmer

Cite this Entry

“Khmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Khmer. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

Khmer

noun
: a member of an aboriginal people of Cambodia

More from Merriam-Webster on Khmer

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