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.

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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)

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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.

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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

Let’s start with Mississippi, where a panel of three Bush-appointed judges found that the state’s maps violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

Badat used the example of DeSoto County in Mississippi.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

Beyond business you’ll think: Lincoln in the dirt-floor log cabin becomes president, Oprah Winfrey of rural Mississippi hardship invents a media empire.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Alabama have never allowed the exclusion to be taken for state taxes largely because of the way their tax codes conform with federal law.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

For my final round of commencements as First Lady, I spoke at Jackson State University in Mississippi, another historically black school, using the opportunity to talk about striving for excellence.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama