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

See Examples For:

Oregon

The Oregon Health Insurance Experiment studied a 2008 lottery in Oregon that gave some low-income uninsured adults the chance to enroll in Medicaid.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

Among minors, transgender-related diagnoses in Oregon rose threefold between 2017 and 2023, according to a Manhattan Institute insurance database analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

More than two dozen lawyers attended Friday’s hearing, including from Colorado, Oregon, Washington and New York who came to support California, which is leading the case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a promising experimental strategy for treating glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

Ogden and Kira “retired” to their home in Oregon and started a nonprofit educational software company, Halcydonia Interactive, which created free interactive adventure games for kids.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline