Oregon

American  

[awr-i-guhn, ‑-gon, or‑] / ˈɔr ɪ gən, ‑ˌgɒn, ˈɒr‑ /

noun

1. a state in the northwestern United States, on the Pacific coast. 96,981 square miles (251,180 square kilometers). Salem. OR (for use with zip code), Oreg., Ore.

2. a city in northwestern Ohio.

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Oregon British  

/ ˈɒrɪɡən /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Oreg..   OR.  a state of the northwestern US, on the Pacific: consists of the Coast and Cascade Ranges in the west and a plateau in the east; important timber production. Capital: Salem. Pop: 3 559 596 (2003 est). Area: 251 418 sq km (97 073 sq miles)

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Oregon Cultural  

1. State in the northwestern United States bordered by Washington to the north, Idaho to the east, Nevada and California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its capital is Salem, and its largest city is Portland.

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Discover More

Before the coming of the railroads, the Oregon Trail was used as an overland emigration route from the Missouri River to the Columbia River country (all of which was then called Oregon).

Other Word Forms

• Oregonian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Oregon

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

The study, released Tuesday by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, found that the state’s nutria populations share a close genetic match to nutria from Oregon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

An Oregon State University scientist working with a group of undergraduate students has revealed new, real-time details about a chemical process tied to Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

And in college football, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon are also routinely among the biggest spenders in the country.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

In the case of the northern spotted owl, exemptions were initially granted for timber sales in Oregon but later withdrawn due to legal challenges and procedural violations.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

I have lots of family in Oregon, but they’re all from Gramps’s side.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman