United States

American  

[yoo-nahy-tid steyts] / juˈnaɪ tɪd ˈsteɪts /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. Official Name United States of America.  a federal republic in the northern Western Hemisphere comprising 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the North Pacific, and in some contexts considered along with its five inhabited island territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, North Mariana Islands,American Samoa ). Conterminous United States, 3,119,885 square miles (8,080,465 square kilometers); with Alaska and Hawaii, 3,796,742 square miles (9,833,517 square kilometers); all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the island territories, 3,805,927 square miles (9,857,306 square kilometers) Washington, D.C. U.S., US

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Other Word Forms

• anti–United States
  adjective
• pro–United States
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of United States

First recorded in 1600–10, in reference to the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and in 1770–80 for the United States of America ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

United States

In April, Ryder Cup organisers defended ticket prices for next year's centenary golf event between Europe and the United States in Ireland.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Vance said the United States was probing the wedding strike but cast doubt on Iranian reporting of the incident.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

“Threats against the President of the United States are federal crimes,” Essayli stated in the post.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

One wild card: The hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants who have lost the temporary protective status that allowed them to stay in the United States.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

During the decade of Spiritualism’s rise, immigration to the United States was growing.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock