Oklahoma

[oh-kluh-hoh-muh]

noun

1. a state in the south central United States. 69,919 square miles (181,090 square kilometers). Oklahoma City. OK (for use with zip code), Okla.

Oklahoma

/ ˌəʊkləˈhəʊmə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Okla..  OK. a state in the S central US: consists of plains in the west, rising to mountains in the southwest and east; important for oil. Capital: Oklahoma City. Pop: 3 511 532 (2003 est). Area: 181 185 sq km (69 956 sq miles)

Oklahoma!

¹

1. A musical comedy by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It began a new era of sophistication in musical comedy and was the first of several very successful Rodgers and Hammerstein shows. “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Oklahoma,” and “People Will Say We're in Love” are songs from Oklahoma!

Oklahoma

²

1. State in the southwestern United States, bordered by Colorado and Kansas to the north, Missouri and Arkansas to the east, Texas to the south, and New Mexico to the west. Its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

Other Word Forms

• Oklahoman adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Oklahoma!¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Choctaw Oklahommaʔ “Indian (i.e., North American Indian)”, equivalent to oklah “people, nation” + ommaʔ “red,” coined by the Choctaw scholar and Presbyterian minister Allen Wright (1826–85), later principal chief of the Choctaw Nation (1866–70), and originally applied to the Indian Territory; Five Civilized Nations ( def. ), Indian Territory ( def. )

Example Sentences

Two years after the big gain, the Paxtons and their blind trust went on a 10-month real-estate buying binge, spending almost $3.5 million on residential properties in Florida, Oklahoma, Utah and Hawaii.

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Last season, as Oklahoma football was staggering to only its second losing season in 25 years, school leaders understood that they needed more than a rebuilding year.

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But with losses to Ohio State and Florida and a tough matchup against Oklahoma looming, it seems all but certain that the preseason No. 1 won’t be anywhere near the end-of-season No. 1.

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In one stark example, some California rehabs have zeroed in on Oklahoma, a state with a high rate of addiction and a Blue Cross & Blue Shield plan that paid well for out-of-state care.

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The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office began an investigation shortly after.

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