Alaska

American  

[uh-las-kuh] / əˈlæs kə /

noun

1. a state of the United States in northwestern North America. 586,400 sq. mi. (1,519,000 sq. km). Juneau. AK (for use with zip code), Alas.

2. Gulf of Alaska, a gulf of the Pacific Ocean, on the coast of southern Alaska.

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Alaska British  

/ əˈlæskə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Alas.   AK.  the largest state of the US, in the extreme northwest of North America: the aboriginal inhabitants are Inuit and Yupik; the earliest White settlements were made by the Russians; it was purchased by the US from Russia in 1867. It is mostly mountainous and volcanic, rising over 6000 m (20 000 ft), with the Yukon basin in the central region; large areas are covered by tundra; it has important mineral resources (chiefly coal, oil, and natural gas). Capital: Juneau. Pop: 648 818 (2003 est). Area: 1 530 694 sq km (591 004 sq miles)

2. the N part of the Pacific, between the Alaska Peninsula and the Alexander Archipelago

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Alaska Cultural  

1. State in northwesternmost North America bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north; Yukon, Canada, to the east; the Pacific Ocean to the south; and the Bering Sea to the west. Its capital is Juneau, and its largest city is Anchorage.

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Discover More

The forty-ninth state, admitted in 1959, and the largest.

Other Word Forms

• Alaskan
  adjective

Compare meaning

How does alaska compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Alaska vs. Hawaii

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Alaska

Molly and her husband are planning to take Eunice on another Elite cruise, this time to Alaska, later this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

In the United States, Parton's books have reached as far as Bethel, Alaska, a small town accessible only by plane or boat that serves as a hub for Indigenous villages.

From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026

Boeing did not make it past the probationary period when in January 2024, the rear door on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane blew off midair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

The Cape Newenham site on Alaska's south-west coast is part of the Alaska Radar System, a network of remote sites that monitor aircraft approaching or operating in Alaskan airspace.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

When I moved back up to Alaska, I had in a strange way fallen into the category of the ignorant tourist.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen