Illinois

¹ American  

[il-uh-noi, -noiz] / ˌɪl əˈnɔɪ, -ˈnɔɪz /

noun

Illinois plural

1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians of Algonquian stock, formerly occupying Illinois and adjoining regions westward.

2. the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami Indians.

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Illinois ² American  

[il-uh-noi, -noiz] / ˌɪl əˈnɔɪ, -ˈnɔɪz /

noun

1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 56,400 sq. mi. (146,075 sq. km). Springfield. IL (for use with zip code), Ill.

2. a river flowing southwest from northeastern Illinois to the Mississippi River: connected by a canal with Lake Michigan. 273 miles (440 km) long.

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Illinois British  

/ ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Ill..   IL.  a state of the N central US, in the Midwest: consists of level prairie crossed by the Illinois and Kaskaskia Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Springfield. Pop: 12 653 544 (2003 est). Area: 144 858 sq km (55 930 sq miles)

2. a river in Illinois, flowing SW to the Mississippi. Length: 439 km (273 miles)

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Illinois Cultural  

1. State in the north-central United States bordered on the north by Wisconsin, the east by Indiana, the south by Kentucky, and the west by Missouri and Iowa. Its capital is Springfield, and its largest city is Chicago.

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Pronunciation

The pronunciation of Illinois with a final , which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases.

Discover More

Known as the “Land of Lincoln” because Abraham Lincoln began his political career there.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Illinois
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Illinois

1715–25, < French, earlier Eriniouai, Ilinoués, etc., from an unidentified Algonquian language, apparently literally, “one who sounds normal” (i.e., “a person who speaks an Algonquian language”), equivalent to the (unattested) Proto-Algonquian elements elen- “ordinary” + -we “make sound”

Example Sentences

Illinois teacher Amy Dixon agrees, wondering if her own fascination stems from "trying to make sure I know all the things I could do in case it ever happens to me".

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

He cut his political teeth there as a community organizer in the 1980s before representing the area in the Illinois state Senate, then winning a US Senate seat in 2004.

From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026

Adam Goodman, an associate professor of history at the University of Illinois Chicago, said accounts of the U.S. government’s targeting of immigrants in the 1980s are eerily similar to current day.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026

Many trans Kansans have also become “refugees” as they, with his organization’s help, attempt to move to places like California, Washington, Minnesota or Illinois.

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2026

Leah didn’t nurse her new husband, instead, she summoned her daughter, Lizzie, from Illinois to care for him.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock