Alaska

American  

[uh-las-kuh] / əˈlæs kə /

noun

1. a state of the United States in northwestern North America. 586,400 sq. mi. (1,519,000 sq. km). Juneau. AK (for use with zip code), Alas.

2. Gulf of Alaska, a gulf of the Pacific Ocean, on the coast of southern Alaska.

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Alaska British  

/ əˈlæskə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Alas.   AK.  the largest state of the US, in the extreme northwest of North America: the aboriginal inhabitants are Inuit and Yupik; the earliest White settlements were made by the Russians; it was purchased by the US from Russia in 1867. It is mostly mountainous and volcanic, rising over 6000 m (20 000 ft), with the Yukon basin in the central region; large areas are covered by tundra; it has important mineral resources (chiefly coal, oil, and natural gas). Capital: Juneau. Pop: 648 818 (2003 est). Area: 1 530 694 sq km (591 004 sq miles)

2. the N part of the Pacific, between the Alaska Peninsula and the Alexander Archipelago

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Alaska Cultural  

1. State in northwesternmost North America bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north; Yukon, Canada, to the east; the Pacific Ocean to the south; and the Bering Sea to the west. Its capital is Juneau, and its largest city is Anchorage.

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Discover More

The forty-ninth state, admitted in 1959, and the largest.

Other Word Forms

• Alaskan
  adjective

Compare meaning

How does alaska compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Alaska vs. Hawaii

Example Sentences

Alaska Air Group is suddenly a top five U.S. player after its 2024 buyout of Hawaiian Airlines, although there’s a steep size drop after American, Delta, United, and Southwest.

From Barron's • May 8, 2026

By late April, temperatures had begun to rise, but reports indicated that unsettled, wet conditions were still on the way for Southcentral and Southeast Alaska as an atmospheric river approached.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

Last summer a giant wave swept through a remote fjord in southeast Alaska leaving destruction in its wake.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Ross’ dedicated focus on landscape painting has deep roots in his time spent stationed in Alaska with the United States Air Force, where he eventually rose to the rank of master sergeant.

From Salon • May 2, 2026

It is the twelfth smallest state, but it has more uninhabited forest—ten million acres—than any other state but Alaska.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson