Mom·ba·sa

(mŏm-băs′ə, -bä′sä)

A city of southeast Kenya mainly on Mombasa Island, in the Indian Ocean north of Zanzibar. Visited by Vasco da Gama on his first voyage to India (1498), the island-city was ruled successively by Portugal, Oman, Zanzibar, and Great Britain until the early 1900s.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Mombasa

(mɒmˈbæsə)

(Placename) a port in S Kenya, on a coral island in a bay of the Indian Ocean: the chief port for Kenya, Uganda, and NE Tanzania; became British in 1887, capital of the East African Protectorate until 1907. Pop: 828 000 (2005 est)

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Mom•ba•sa

(mɒmˈbɑ sɑ, -ˈbæs ə)

n.

1. an island in S Kenya.

2. a seaport on this island. 600,000.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

Mombasa - a port city in southern Kenya on a coral island in a bay of the Indian Ocean

Kenya, Republic of Kenya - a republic in eastern Africa; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1963; major archeological discoveries have been made in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

"You are right, my friend," he said, "it will go well with both of us; but I shall have to travel far to catch General Kraut before he reaches Mombasa. These English pigs with their contemptible army will make good time to the Indian Ocean."

View in context

Hours after a juvenile crime gang hacked at least 11 people, injuring them seriously, a video of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho went viral, showing him making merry in the US.

Who's in charge while Joho 'plays' in the US?

When the police heard my name and that I come from Lamu, they concluded that I was an Al-Shabaab member who had escaped from a hideout in Boni Forest, those were the words of Mr Kassim Ali to Mombasa Court.

Man charged with killing Mombasa constable claims police biased

Multi-agency security agents are on the ground in Mombasa to track down machete-wielding gangs which are terrorising residents of Nyali, Bamburi, Kwa Bullo, Kisauni and surrounding areas all within the Mombasa county.

Contain gangs at the Coast before terror breaks out

Pressure has mounted on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers in Mombasa following the release of a suspect who gouged out the eye of a woman.

Police search for suspect who gouged out Mwende's eye

All imported cargo that is not declared and or removed from the Port of Mombasa or the ICD within 21 days, from the date of discharge of the vessel, will be transferred to a designated Customs controlled area awaiting disposal in accordance to the East African Community Customs Management Act, 2004.

New plan to kick out trucks from highway

It's now official that Bandari Football Club will play their Caf Confederation Cup matches outside Mombasa due to the unavailability of the Mombasa Municipal Stadium.The news has been met with disappointment with the club's fans terming it as "shameful.

Shame of Mombasa stadium as Bandari lack Caf venue

Mombasa county secretary Francis Thoya appears poised to chart his own political path after he declined a request by Governor Hassan Joho to join the County Public Service Board.

Former county secretary Thoya turns down Joho's job

Bandari want to play their Caf Confederation Cup matches in Mombasa and have subsequently convened an urgent board meeting on Tuesday to map out the way forward.This is after the county government of Mombasa ruled out any possibility of the Mombasa County Stadium, which was closed for renovation three years ago, being ready in time to host international matches.

Bandari weigh options of hosting Caf tie in Mombasa