Massachusetts

American  

[mas-uh-choo-sits] / ˌmæs əˈtʃu sɪts /

noun

1. a state in the northeastern United States, on the Atlantic coast. 8,257 square miles (21,385 square kilometers). Boston. MA (for use with zip code), Mass.

2. Massachusett.

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Massachusetts British  

/ ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsɪts /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Mass.   MA.  a state of the northeastern US, on the Atlantic: a centre of resistance to English colonial policy during the War of American Independence; consists of a coastal plain rising to mountains in the west. Capital: Boston. Pop: 6 433 422 (2003 est). Area: 20 269 sq km (7826 sq miles)

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Massachusetts Cultural  

1. State in the northeastern United States; one of the New England states. Bordered by Vermont and New Hampshire to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, and New York to the west. Its capital and largest city is Boston.

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One of the thirteen colonies, playing a key role in resisting the British before and during the Revolutionary War.

The settlement of Massachusetts began in 1620, when the first Pilgrims arrived from England in the Mayflower near Plymouth Rock.

Example Sentences

As of January, employers can instead buy the coverage as an add-on, and 20% have opted to, says Amy McHugh, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts insurer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Thornton, 22, launched the Huntington Beach defense tech startup in 2023 after dropping out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied aerospace engineering.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

They were identified to CBS News Boston as a family from Greenfield, Massachusetts - Dmitri Doncev, his wife, Ecaterina, their daughter Emily and son Mark.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Elizabeth Strout’s 11th novel centers on Artie Dam, a high-school history teacher in Massachusetts, whose fortunate home life and warm relationship with his students doesn’t prevent him from confronting a crisis of meaning.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Jefferson thus became perhaps the last person in America to recognize that he was running for the presidency against his old friend from Massachusetts.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis