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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!

Williams had broken out as a freshman for Oklahoma before transferring to USC and winning the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Lowrimore, who lives near the state border in Oklahoma, sought care at an Arkansas emergency department in February after experiencing abdominal pain and significant bleeding.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

This year, Oklahoma doubled its requirement for elementary students to 40 minutes of recess a day, while Pennsylvania recently began requiring 30 minutes for students in full-day kindergarten through fifth grade.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

The ceremony was held at the Oklahoma home of Steinem’s friend Wilma Mankiller, former head of the Cherokee Nation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Here in Oklahoma we don’t talk very much.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Director Fish's production of Oklahoma! won both the Tony and Olivier Award for best musical revival following runs on Broadway and in the West End respectively.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2024

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

Plus how the updated version of Oklahoma! took a bold approach to choreography, and trying to bring peace to L.A. gangs after Nipsey Hussle’s death.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2019

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