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la

1 American  
[lah] / lɑ /

noun

Music.

  1. the syllable used for the sixth tone of a diatonic scale.

  2. (in the fixed system of solmization) the tone A.

la 2 American  
[law, lah] / lɔ, lɑ /

interjection

Archaic or Dialect.

  1. (used as an exclamation of wonder, surprise, etc.).

    La, sir, how you do go on!
La 3 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.

  1. lanthanum.

LA 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. Louisiana (approved especially for use with zip code).

La. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Louisiana.

L.A. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Latin America.

  2. Law Agent.

  3. Library Association.

  4. Local Agent.

  5. Los Angeles.

LA 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Legislative Assembly

  2. Library Association

  3. local agent

  4. Los Angeles

  5. Louisiana

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
La 2 British  

symbol

  1. lanthanum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
La. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Louisiana

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
la 4 British  
/ lɑː /

noun

  1. music a variant spelling of lah

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
la 5 British  
/ lɔː /

interjection

  1. an exclamation of surprise or emphasis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
la 6 British  

abbreviation

  1. Lao People's Democratic Republic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of la1

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; gamut

Origin of la2

before 1150; Middle English, Old English; weak variant of lā lo 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What getup will transcend la mode and stand the test of time?

From The Wall Street Journal

Her zapping turns her entire head of hair — not just a streak — shocking white à la Jean Harlow, and leaves an oddly-appealing black blotch on her cheek.

From Los Angeles Times

After all, this generation of parents are the millennials and Gen X-ers who grew up socializing at the mall a la Cher Horowitz in “Clueless.”

From Los Angeles Times

Miss Piggy insists on living la vie en rose above all, including romancing herself.

From Salon

He’s even started to ponder how the movie could be expanded to fit the venue’s enormous wraparound screen à la Sphere’s theme-park-like take on “The Wizard of Oz.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.