District of Columbia

American  

noun

1. a federal area in the eastern United States, on the Potomac, coextensive with the federal capital, Washington. 69 sq. mi. (179 sq. km). DC (for use with zip code), D.C.

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District of Columbia British  

noun

1. Abbreviation: D.C., DC. a federal district of the eastern US, coextensive with the federal capital, Washington. Pop: 564 326 (2003 est). Area: 178 sq km (69 sq miles)

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District of Columbia Cultural  

1. The district occupied entirely by Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States; bordered by Maryland to the north and Virginia to the south.

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The District of Columbia was established by acts of Congress in 1790 and 1791 on a site selected by George Washington.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

District of Columbia

And this summer, Meta struck a high-profile $18bn settlement with 48 US states, plus the District of Columbia and three US territories.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The final, less polite call came from the office of Ed Martin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

In 2024 the District of Columbia sued him for tax fraud in a case Saylor settled for $40 million, making it the largest recovery the city has ever claimed.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

A 1912 law says new buildings “shall not erected...on public grounds within the District of Columbia without express authority of Congress.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026

“I am glad to find you, sir. I have a telegram here for you all the way from Washington. That’s District of Columbia, sir. Not state of.”

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly