West Virginia

American  

noun

1. a state in the eastern United States. 24,181 sq. mi. (62,629 sq. km). Charleston. WV (for use with zip code), W.Va.

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West Virginia British  

noun

1. Abbreviation: W Va.   W. Va..   WV.  a state of the eastern US: part of Virginia until the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861); consists chiefly of the Allegheny Plateau; bounded on the west by the Ohio River; coal-mining. Capital: Charleston. Pop: 1 810 354 (2003 est). Area: 62 341 sq km (24 070 sq miles)

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West Virginia Cultural  

1. State in the southeastern United States bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, Virginia to the east and south, and Kentucky and Ohio to the west. Its capital and largest city is Charleston.

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Ranks first in bituminous coal production, with about twenty percent of the nation's total.

Separated from Virginia after Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861; it was granted statehood in 1863, during the Civil War.

Other Word Forms

• West Virginian adjective

Example Sentences

John Alvendia’s for-profit education company seemed to have flopped in West Virginia.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Alabama and West Virginia also have preschool-for-all programs that receive top marks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

“The past and present were endlessly intermingled,” Ms. Phillips recalls: “Every kid in town knew that West Virginia had seceded from Virginia to stand for the Union.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

A research team from West Virginia University has been investigating whether such unconventional sources could help meet growing lithium demand.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2026

In West Virginia, they were always there, setting real, physical boundaries between the towns and the people.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam