Pennsylvania

American  

[pen-suhl-vayn-yuh, -vay-nee-uh] / ˌpɛn səlˈveɪn jə, -ˈveɪ ni ə /

noun

1. a state in the eastern United States. 45,333 sq. mi. (117,410 sq. km). Harrisburg. PA (for use with zip code), Pa., Penn., Penna.

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Pennsylvania British  

/ ˌpɛnsɪlˈveɪnɪə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Pa, Penn, Penna, PA. a state of the northeastern US: almost wholly in the Appalachians, with the Allegheny Plateau to the west and a plain in the southeast; the second most important US state for manufacturing. Capital: Harrisburg. Pop: 12 365 455 (2003 est). Area: 116 462 sq km (44 956 sq miles)

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Pennsylvania Cultural  

1. State in the northeastern United States bordered by Lake Erie and New York to the north; New Jersey to the east; Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia to the south; and Ohio to the west. Its capital is Harrisburg, and its largest city is Philadelphia.

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Discover More

Named after the father of William Penn, a devout Quaker, who was granted proprietary rights by the king of England to almost the whole of what is now Pennsylvania in the late seventeenth century.

One of the thirteen colonies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, the young man was mentored by another future Founder, John Dickinson, who would go on to serve in both Continental congresses and in the Constitutional Convention.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Snehal Desai grew up in a small town in rural Pennsylvania.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The project builds on previous research by the University of Pennsylvania team.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

The Arthurs remained married until Cledith Arthur’s 2004 death in Pennsylvania.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

In April of 1787, Franklin agreed to serve as the new president of the revitalized Pennsylvania Abolition Society and to make the antislavery cause the final project of his life.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

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