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

See Examples For:

West Virginia

And, for me, a loaf of chocolate zucchini bread from a little Amish market and greenhouse somewhere outside Ona, West Virginia.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

With two nuns on guitar, one with a tambourine and one on drums, a roomful of pilgrims started singing about West Virginia in a pileup of accents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

But at age 45, after 20 years working in the coal mines of West Virginia, physical activity has become nearly impossible.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

Most US states have imposed a ban, leaving two racing tracks in West Virginia as the last active operations.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Pay equalization might have been a battle in Virginia, but West Virginia got on board without a fight.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly