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.

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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)

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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.

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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

Pizza Hut first opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1958 and rapidly expanded before being sold to PepsiCO in 1977.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026

A little boy can walk out of a house on Fourth Street in the middle of small-town Kansas, and he can end up leading armies that will save the free world from tyranny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

The law, the complaint argues, violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for privacy, equality under the law, due process, personal autonomy and freedom of speech.

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2026

Thomas Tuchel and his squad will arrive in Kansas City on Saturday afternoon and the equipment was due to be in place beforehand.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

“He changed his Kansas City address soon after it became known that we were working on him. We feel sure he has been paid to skip.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann