EUROPEAN UNION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does European Union mean? 

• EUROPEAN UNION (noun)
  The noun EUROPEAN UNION has 1 sense:

1. an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members

  Familiarity information: EUROPEAN UNION used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EUROPEAN UNION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

Common Market; EC; EEC; EU; Europe; European Community; European Economic Community; European Union

Context example:

he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union

Hypernyms ("European Union" is a kind of...):

global organization; international organisation; international organization; world organisation; world organization (an international alliance involving many different countries)

Meronyms (members of "European Union"):

Danmark; Denmark; Kingdom of Denmark (a constitutional monarchy in northern Europe; consists of the mainland of Jutland and many islands between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea)

Kingdom of Sweden; Sverige; Sweden (a Scandinavian kingdom in the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula)

Deutschland; Federal Republic of Germany; FRG; Germany (a republic in central Europe; split into East Germany and West Germany after World War II and reunited in 1990)

Finland; Republic of Finland; Suomi (republic in northern Europe; achieved independence from Russia in 1917)

Ellas; Greece; Hellenic Republic (a republic in southeastern Europe on the southern part of the Balkan peninsula; known for grapes and olives and olive oil)

Italia; Italian Republic; Italy (a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD)

Austria; Oesterreich; Republic of Austria (a mountainous republic in central Europe; under the Habsburgs (1278-1918) Austria maintained control of the Holy Roman Empire and was a leader in European politics until the 19th century)

Belgique; Belgium; Kingdom of Belgium (a monarchy in northwestern Europe; headquarters for the European Union and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Eire; Ireland; Irish Republic; Republic of Ireland (a republic consisting of 26 of 32 counties comprising the island of Ireland; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1921)

France; French Republic (a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe)

Holland; Kingdom of The Netherlands; Nederland; Netherlands; The Netherlands (a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level)

Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Luxembourg; Luxemburg (a grand duchy (a constitutional monarchy) landlocked in northwestern Europe between France and Belgium and Germany; an international financial center)

Portugal; Portuguese Republic (a republic in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; Portuguese explorers and colonists in the 15th and 16th centuries created a vast overseas empire (including Brazil))

Espana; Kingdom of Spain; Spain (a parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial power)

 Context examples 

A joint report from the United Nations and the European Union found that millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from acute food shortage each year.

(Poor Diet Kills More People Than Smoking, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

EXAMPLE(S): "European Union" might be the name of the territory comprised by the EU member states.

(Place Name, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

Benfluorex was never approved for use in the United States and was withdrawn in the European Union because of an increased risk of pulmonary hypertension and valvular disease.

(Benfluorex, NCI Thesaurus)

The team of scientists looked at the most harmful weather-related disasters — heat waves, cold snaps, wildfires, droughts, floods and windstorms — across the European Union, plus Switzerland, Norway and Iceland.

(Study: Climate Change Will Bring 50-Fold Rise in Europe Weather-related Deaths, VOA News)

Carbadox is a mutagen/carcinogen and has been banned in Canada, Australia, and the European Union.

(Carbadox, NCI Thesaurus)