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Mississippi

American  
[mis-uh-sip-ee] / ˌmɪs əˈsɪp i /

noun

  1. a state in the southern United States. 47,716 sq. mi. (123,585 sq. km). Jackson. MS (for use with zip code), Miss.

  2. a river flowing south from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico: the principal river of the United States. 2,470 miles (3,975 km) long; from the headwaters of the Missouri to the Gulf of Mexico 3,988 miles (6,418 km) long.


Mississippi British  
/ ˌmɪsɪˈsɪpɪ /

noun

  1. Abbreviation: Miss, MS. a state of the southeastern US, on the Gulf of Mexico: consists of a largely forested undulating plain, with swampy regions in the northwest and on the coast, the Mississippi River forming the W border; cotton, rice, and oil. Capital: Jackson. Pop: 2 881 281 (2003 est). Area: 122 496 sq km (47 296 sq miles)

  2. a river in the central US, rising in NW Minnesota and flowing generally south to the Gulf of Mexico through several mouths, known as the Passes: the second longest river in North America (after its tributary, the Missouri), with the third largest drainage basin in the world (after the Amazon and the Congo). Length: 3780 km (2348 miles)

"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

Mississippi Cultural  
  1. State in the southern United States bordered by Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana to the south, and Louisiana and Arkansas to the west. Its capital and largest city is Jackson.


Discover More

One of the Confederate states during the Civil War.

Its name comes from the Mississippi River, which forms most of the state's western border.

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.

See Examples For:

A researcher at Mississippi State University is using mathematical models to investigate how common metals influence the buildup of proteins associated with Alzheimer's and whether potential treatments could interfere with this process.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

The Epic data, which was published Thursday, show that the flu is hitting states like Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas the hardest.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

In the United States, at least 16 factories processed fishmeal as of 2025, along the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia, the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Louisiana, and in California, Oregon and Alaska.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season, Isaias is forecast to make landfall in Florida, Alabama or Mississippi on Friday night or early Saturday, according to the NHC.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The constant wave of tropical storms and hurricanes that menaced coastal Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida in the summer of 2004 turned their relaxed Southern coastal life into an apocalyptic struggle for survival.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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