New Mexico

American  

noun

1. a state in the southwestern United States. 121,666 sq. mi. (315,115 sq. km). Santa Fe. NM (for use with zip code), N. Mex., N.M.

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New Mexico British  

noun

1. Abbreviation: N. Mex..   NM.  a state of the southwestern US: high semiarid plateaus and mountains, crossed by the Rio Grande and the Pecos River; large Spanish-American and Indian populations; contains over two-thirds of US uranium reserves. Capital: Santa Fé. Pop: 1 874 614 (2003 est). Area: 314 451 sq km (121 412 sq miles)

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New Mexico Cultural  

1. State in the southwestern United States bordered by Colorado to the north, Oklahoma and Texas to the east, Texas and Mexico to the south, and Arizona to the west. Its capital is Santa Fe, and its largest city is Albuquerque.

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An important center of Native American culture and home to Navajo reservations.

Center of the Los Alamos Research Center, where the atomic bomb (see also atomic bomb) was developed.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• New Mexican
  adjective

Example Sentences

The latest detections included a calf in La Salle County, Texas, a goat in Gillespie County, Texas, and a dog in Lea County, New Mexico, following two earlier cases in Zavala County, Texas.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

This caravan, running in the opposite direction, will travel from California through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri to Illinois.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

The primaries Tuesday in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico provide insight into how the midterms are shaping up.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

The election was one of many primaries across California, Iowa, New Jersey and New Mexico on Tuesday that will shape the midterm elections that will happen across the country in November.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

Miss New Mexico checked to make sure her bra straps weren’t showing.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray