Erie

American  

[eer-ee] / ˈɪər i /

noun

Eries, plural Erie plural

1. Lake, a lake between the NE central United States and SE central Canada: the southernmost lake of the Great Lakes; site of the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813 in which Commodore Perry defeated the British. 239 miles (385 km) long; 9,940 sq. mi. (25,745 sq. km).

2. a port in NW Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie.

3. a member of a tribe of American Indians formerly living along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

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Erie ¹ British  

/ ˈɪərɪ /

noun

1. a member of a North American Indian people formerly living south of Lake Erie

2. the language of this people, possibly belonging to the Iroquoian family

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Erie ² British  

/ ˈɪərɪ /

noun

1. a lake between the US and Canada: the southernmost and the shallowest of the Great Lakes; empties by the Niagara River into Lake Ontario. Area: 25 718 sq km (9930 sq miles)

2. a port in NW Pennsylvania, on Lake Erie. Pop: 101 373 (2003 est)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Erie
  plural
• Eries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Erie

From Erie (an Iroquoian language) Erie, Eriez, shortening of Erielhonan “long tail” (the Erie were called the Cat People, referring to the cougar)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Erie Eries

A judge aligned with Vanderbilt, who had issued an injunction against the new stock, then ordered the arrest of the Erie directors for contempt for violating his order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 made the transportation of goods much more efficient, and many Americans celebrated the young republic’s advances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Alam was in the country legally, but he had been detained for almost a year in the Erie County jail and released on a misdemeanor plea deal.

From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2026

Earlier, in 2007, scientists detected signs of an extremely strong toxin called saxitoxin in Lake Erie, although its biological source remained unknown.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2025

In Williamstown, Massachusetts, ABC viewers were 71.4 percent for Reagan versus 50 percent for the other two networks; in Erie, Pennsylvania, the difference was 73.7 percent to 50 percent.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

“This aquifer, they estimate, contains eight Lake Eries of water, and they have already nearly depleted one. It’s like draining the Great Lakes, but we don’t see it.”

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 11, 2016

"At its entrance, planted on both sides of the narrow pass, are Eries, well provided with bows and arrows and spears, waiting as a cunning cayman waits in the sedge for the unsuspecting water-duck."

From Traditions of the North American Indians, Vol. 3 by Jones, James Athearn

Then we took the sons of the Wyandots, the Eries, the Algonquins.

From The False Chevalier or, The Lifeguard of Marie Antoinette by Lighthall, W. D. (William Douw)

There were three or four on the other side towards the Eries.

From The Country of the Neutrals (As Far As Comprised in the County of Elgin), From Champlain to Talbot by Coyne, James H.

Some sought refuge with the Ottawas, some with the Eries, and not a few attached themselves to missionaries, who formed them into settlements on the Island of St. Joseph, in Lake Ontario.

From The Rise of Canada, from Barbarism to Wealth and Civilisation Volume 1 by Roger, Charles