colorado
1 Americanadjective
noun
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a state in the western United States. 104,247 sq. mi. (270,000 sq. km). Denver. CO (for use with zip code), Col., Colo.
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a river flowing southwest from northern Colorado through Utah and Arizona into the Gulf of California: Grand Canyon; Boulder Dam. 1,450 miles (2,335 km) long.
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a river flowing southeast from western Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. 840 miles (1,350 km) long.
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Río Colorado a river in central Argentina, flowing southeast from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. 530 miles (853 km) long.
noun
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Abbreviation: Colo.. CO. a state of the central US: consists of the Great Plains in the east and the Rockies in the west; drained chiefly by the Colorado, Arkansas, South Platte, and Rio Grande Rivers. Capital: Denver. Pop: 4 550 688 (2003 est). Area: 269 998 sq km (104 247 sq miles)
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a river in SW North America, rising in the Rocky Mountains and flowing southwest to the Gulf of California: famous for the 1600 km (1000 miles) of canyons along its course. Length: about 2320 km (1440 miles)
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a river in central Texas, flowing southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. Length: about 1450 km (900 miles)
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a river in central Argentina, flowing southeast to the Atlantic. Length: about 850 km (530 miles)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of colorado
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.
See Examples For:
For 87 years, Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino has served Cal-Mex classics such as chile colorado and huevos rancheros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
This jarred mole sauce cuts cooking time in half but with full-on, incredible flavor — especially the colorado, highlighting cacao and chile.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2022
The delivery mechanisms I use are familiar vehicles balanced with new, surprising concepts, like mango chutney hot dogs, Gorgonzola nachos, chile colorado burritos, and ancho morita s'mores.
From Salon ● May 18, 2022
La Carreta amps up the Chicano factor by instead smothering their eggs with chile verde and chile colorado.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2019
Abuela did voices, and at the end of this and every story she’d say, “¡Y colorín, colorado, este cuento se ha acabado!”
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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The NPS earlier said it had found the body of a 46-year-old man near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
On Monday, the National Park Service said search and recovery efforts were well underway in Bright Angel Canyon, which runs from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon into the Colorado River.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
These formations are widespread across Utah's Wasatch and Uinta ranges and can also be found on the Colorado Plateau in the La Sal Mountains near Moab.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Marmot mayhem has also hit other parts of the West, including Colorado.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
One of the problems of living in Colorado is the time zone.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.