Kansas

American  

[kan-zuhs] / ˈkæn zəs /

noun

1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 82,276 sq. mi. (213,094 sq. km). Topeka. KS (for use with zip code), Kans., Kan., Kas.

2. a river in northeastern Kansas, flowing east to the Missouri River. 169 miles (270 km) long.

---

Kansas British  

/ ˈkænzəs /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Kan.   Kans.   KS.  a state of the central US: consists of undulating prairie, drained chiefly by the Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Topeka. Pop: 2 723 507 (2003 est). Area: 213 096 sq km (82 277 sq miles)

---

Kansas Cultural  

1. State in the central United States bordered by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita.

---

Discover More

In the 1850s, the state came to be known as “bleeding Kansas” because of the violence between hostile free-staters and pro-slavery settlers.

Example Sentences

In Kansas, unceasing rains turned the earth to a “gelatinous goop.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Canadian Pacific Kansas City gained 17% over the past year and is forming a cup-with-handle base, with a potential 19% upside to $102.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Ramkumar Thiyagarajan, a former postdoctoral researcher in Kirkwood's lab who is now an assistant professor at the University of Kansas, served as the paper's first author.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

Born April 15, 1962, in Overland Park, Kan., Kane began his voice acting career at age 15 doing commercials in his hometown of Kansas City, according to IMDb.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Success in other states followed, with California, Kansas, Arizona, and Oregon passing laws in the next few years.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling