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.

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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)

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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.

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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

See Examples For:

Kentucky

My cousin tells a story: Several years before I was born, she was sitting on our great-grandmother’s lap at her modest home in a hollow in Eastern Kentucky.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

California, Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky are leading the prosecution of Meta from a courtroom in Oakland, just a short drive from San Francisco.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Plants in Kentucky and Ohio that make the trucks — the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for decades running — were operating at full capacity.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

That’s 60 years after KFC opened its doors in Kentucky.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

The sisters received requests to appear around the state and into Kentucky throughout the summer of 1851.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock