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San Francisco

American  
[san fruhn-sis-koh, fran-] / ˌsæn frənˈsɪs koʊ, fræn- /

noun

  1. a seaport in W California, on San Francisco Bay: earthquake and fire 1906; United Nations Conference 1945.


San Francisco British  
/ ˌsæn frænˈsɪskəʊ /

noun

  1. a port in W California, situated around the Golden Gate: developed rapidly during the California gold rush; a major commercial centre and one of the world's finest harbours. Pop: 751 682 (2003 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

San Francisco Cultural  
  1. A city in northern California.


Discover More

A major West Coast intellectual center.

Also, a center of gay culture.

Known for its history of major earthquakes.

Site of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Other Word Forms

  • San Franciscan adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“My worst-case scenario is going back to Harvard, which isn’t a worse-case scenario at all,” said Zhang, who now lives in San Francisco.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The funding request, included in the White House's proposed 2027 budget, would cover the first year of converting the San Francisco Bay site into what officials describe as a "state-of-the-art secure prison facility."

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of California, San Francisco, also contributed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

In 1898, a conservative Supreme Court upheld that rule and affirmed the citizenship of Wong Kim Ark. He was born in San Francisco to Chinese parents who later returned to China.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

It was founded in 1877, three years after the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club of San Francisco, and for many years it included almost every great player that the United States produced.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady