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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

From there we hopscotched to Chile, up to Mexico City, and then out to Alaska’s remote Aleutian Chain, where a sturdy, generous band of believers make their living off the Bering Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal

The results were recently shared at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska.

From Science Daily

Alaska restricts flaring of natural gas, a common way to dispose of the volatile substance, but a lack of pipelines limits shipments to markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

A few months after retiring, he was working as a coordinator for an adventure race in Alaska when he began thinking about the lack of policing in the sport.

From The Wall Street Journal

Because they liked fireworks, she served baked Alaska topped with sparklers for dessert and surprised them with a fireworks show that annoyed the neighbors but delighted her guests.

From The Wall Street Journal