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

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Etymology

Origin of Oregon

First recorded in 1870–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Oregon

Kristen Vanetsky and her family moved to Bend, Oregon, after a shooting in their New Mexico neighborhood, choosing Silver Rail elementary for her grandson because they considered it safer.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

In Oregon, the additional burden was just $339.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The BBC spoke to residents of Indiana, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Oregon, all of whom have been organising locally against the development of data centres.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Former Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said she never used a security detail during her 12 years in office, which ended in 2024.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

“If you do participate and complete the two-year program—keeping your grade point average at a three point five or above—you are awarded a scholarship to any Oregon college,” Mrs. Parker tells me.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

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