Oklahoma

American  

[oh-kluh-hoh-muh] / ˌoʊ kləˈhoʊ mə /

noun

1. a state in the south central United States. 69,919 square miles (181,090 square kilometers). Oklahoma City. OK (for use with zip code), Okla.

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Oklahoma British  

/ ˌəʊkləˈhəʊmə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Okla..   OK.  a state in the S central US: consists of plains in the west, rising to mountains in the southwest and east; important for oil. Capital: Oklahoma City. Pop: 3 511 532 (2003 est). Area: 181 185 sq km (69 956 sq miles)

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Oklahoma! ¹ Cultural  

1. A musical comedy by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It began a new era of sophistication in musical comedy and was the first of several very successful Rodgers and Hammerstein shows. “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Oklahoma,” and “People Will Say We're in Love” are songs from Oklahoma!

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Oklahoma ² Cultural  

1. State in the southwestern United States, bordered by Colorado and Kansas to the north, Missouri and Arkansas to the east, Texas to the south, and New Mexico to the west. Its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

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Other Word Forms

• Oklahoman adjective

Etymology

Origin of Oklahoma

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Choctaw Oklahommaʔ “Indian (i.e., North American Indian)”, equivalent to oklah “people, nation” + ommaʔ “red,” coined by the Choctaw scholar and Presbyterian minister Allen Wright (1826–85), later principal chief of the Choctaw Nation (1866–70), and originally applied to the Indian Territory; Five Civilized Nations ( def. ), Indian Territory ( def. )

Example Sentences

The Bruins missed six shots in a row while Oklahoma State went on a 9-0 run to narrow the deficit to 13.

From Los Angeles Times

South Carolina will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times

John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” dramatized the suffering and exploitation of farmers migrating to California from the drought-ridden Dust Bowl of Oklahoma.

From The Wall Street Journal

Such doubts have largely been overcome over the past 60 years as Catholics have contributed prominently to American society and culture, said Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the conference of U.S. bishops.

From The Wall Street Journal

Carlos Ray Norris, later nicknamed Chuck, was born March 10, 1940, in Oklahoma.

From The Wall Street Journal