Iowa

American  

[ahy-uh-wuh, ahy-uh-wey] / ˈaɪ ə wə, ˈaɪ əˌweɪ /

noun

Iowas plural

1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 56,290 sq. mi. (145,790 sq. km). Des Moines. IA (approved esp. for use with zip code), Ia., Io.

2. a river flowing southeast from northern Iowa to the Mississippi River. 291 miles (470 km) long.

3. a member of an American Indian people originally of Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota but now of Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas.

4. the Siouan language spoken by the Iowa Indians.

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Iowa British  

/ ˈaɪəʊə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Ia..   IA.  a state of the N central US, in the Midwest: consists of rolling plains crossed by many rivers, with the Missouri forming the western border and the Mississippi the eastern. Capital: Des Moines. Pop: 2 944 062 (2003 est). Area: 144 887 sq km (55 941 sq miles)

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Iowa Cultural  

1. State in the midwestern United States bordered by Minnesota to the north, Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, and Nebraska and South Dakota to the west. Its capital and largest city is Des Moines.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• Iowa
  plural
• Iowas
  plural

Example Sentences

By spring of 2025, candidates were already flying to Iowa and New Hampshire to “get to know voters.”

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

Similarly, in Iowa, VoteVets spent $4.5 million to support Turek in the primary there.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026

The election was one of many primaries across California, Iowa, New Jersey and New Mexico on Tuesday that will shape the midterm elections that will happen across the country in November.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Clark, the 2024 No. 1 draft pick, first gained buzz for her three-point shooting during her college years at Iowa.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

She became a law clerk, a teacher, and the superintendent of schools in Mason City, Iowa, before devoting her career to suffrage.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling