Kentucky

American  

[kuhn-tuhk-ee] / kənˈtʌk i /

noun

1. a state in the east central United States. 40,395 sq. mi. (104,625 sq. km). Frankfort. KY (for use with zip code), Ken., Ky.

2. a river flowing northwest from eastern Kentucky to the Ohio River. 259 miles (415 km) long.

---

Kentucky British  

/ kɛnˈtʌkɪ /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Ken..   Ky..   KY.  a state of the S central US: consists of an undulating plain in the west, the Bluegrass region in the centre, the Tennessee and Ohio River basins in the southwest, and the Appalachians in the east. Capital: Frankfort. Pop: 4 117 827 (2003 est). Area: 102 693 sq km (39 650 sq miles)

2. a river in central Kentucky, rising in the Cumberland Mountains and flowing northwest to the Ohio River. Length: 417 km (259 miles)

---

Kentucky Cultural  

1. State in the east-central United States bordered by Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to the east; Tennessee to the south; and Missouri to the west. Its capital is Frankfort. Louisville is its largest city.

---

Discover More

The state is known for the breeding of race horses. The Kentucky Derby, a famous horse race, is held every year in Louisville.

Kentucky bluegrass is a type of folk music that originated in the southern United States. The music is named for a bluish-tinged grass that grows in Kentucky.

Other Word Forms

• Kentuckian
  adjective

Example Sentences

Kentucky voters on Tuesday chose Republican Rep. Andy Barr and Democratic former state Rep. Charles Booker as the nominees to succeed Mitch McConnell, who is retiring after 42 years in the Senate.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Ford is investing $2 billion in the business and revamping a Kentucky battery plant to be better suited to stationary energy storage.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

The district is located in rural eastern Kentucky and had roughly 1,700 students enrolled in the 2024-25 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

"But in those instances, I'm doing what I told the people in Kentucky I would do."

From BBC • May 20, 2026

He'd grown up on a farm in Kentucky and ended up in Washington, D.C., after finishing law school.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson