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• Oklahoma
  Oklahoma

  noun

  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!
  Oklahoma!

  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

American  

[oh-kluh-hoh-muh] / ˌoʊ kləˈhoʊ mə /

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.

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Oklahoma British  

/ 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)

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Oklahoma! ¹ Cultural  

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!

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Oklahoma ² Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

• Oklahoman
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Oklahoma

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; see Five Civilized Nations ( def. ), Indian Territory ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Oklahoma Oklahoma!

The gulf between Oklahoma State and its free-spending rivals was never more obvious than in the Cowboys’ second game last season, a 69-3 thrashing by Oregon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

“This is life-altering,” said Carla Kurkjian, an oncologist at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, who wasn’t involved in the studies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“It’s been a little while,” said Thomas, who has spent 55 games in Oklahoma City this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

He was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday after center fielder Andy Pages sustained a hand fracture after being hit by a pitch Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

It was also impossible for her to take time off to accompany her son on the long trip to Oklahoma, and she worried about his going alone.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

"They were also very much into the new wave of US musicals like Carousel and South Pacific. Their favourite was supposed to be Oklahoma!, with their favourite song being People Will Say We're In Love."

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2021

The musical Oklahoma! is in the air since he’s at a high school in Oklahoma that frequently puts on the show.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 8, 2020

As the janitor’s daydream starts falling apart, it pulls more and more from Oklahoma!, including a lengthy dream ballet sequence.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2020

Oklahoma!, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Richard Rodgers.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2019

“And Oklahoma! There’s no way I’m going to D.C. now.”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot