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

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

• Alaska vs. Hawaii

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Alaska

I would also appreciate a comparison of California versus Alaska and Texas from an overall retirement perspective, including income taxes, sales taxes, cost of living, housing, and other significant expenses.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Spirit built the fuselage of the Alaska Airlines plane where the door plug blew off midflight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

In the United States, Parton's books have reached as far as Bethel, Alaska, a small town accessible only by plane or boat that serves as a hub for Indigenous villages.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

“Two other states, Alaska and Maine, feature both close Senate races and long-standing close relations across the border.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

I mean, it’s not my fault, growing up in the middle of Nowhere, Alaska, in a village of about a hundred people, give or take.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith