Massachusetts

American  

[mas-uh-choo-sits] / ˌmæs əˈtʃu sɪts /

noun

1. a state in the northeastern United States, on the Atlantic coast. 8,257 square miles (21,385 square kilometers). Boston. MA (for use with zip code), Mass.

2. Massachusett.

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Massachusetts British  

/ ˌmæsəˈtʃuːsɪts /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Mass.   MA.  a state of the northeastern US, on the Atlantic: a centre of resistance to English colonial policy during the War of American Independence; consists of a coastal plain rising to mountains in the west. Capital: Boston. Pop: 6 433 422 (2003 est). Area: 20 269 sq km (7826 sq miles)

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Massachusetts Cultural  

1. State in the northeastern United States; one of the New England states. Bordered by Vermont and New Hampshire to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, and New York to the west. Its capital and largest city is Boston.

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One of the thirteen colonies, playing a key role in resisting the British before and during the Revolutionary War.

The settlement of Massachusetts began in 1620, when the first Pilgrims arrived from England in the Mayflower near Plymouth Rock.

Example Sentences

One X user posted a Massachusetts flag bearing his signature quote as the new state motto.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Marblehead, Mass., stalled on complying with a Massachusetts law requiring communities with transit access to allow more housing, leading to a state attorney general lawsuit.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Back east, the attorneys general of New York and Massachusetts were trying to take the oil giant on, initiating investigations of the company to try to hold it accountable.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

The study was conducted by medical and statistical experts from Harvard University, the University of Washington, the University of California in San Francisco, and Massachusetts General Hospital.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

In January 1831, another loud voice of abolition came ringing out of Massachusetts.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis