Pennsylvania

American  

[pen-suhl-veyn-yuh, -vey-nee-uh] / ˌpɛn səlˈveɪn yə, -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

Pennsylvania Democratic Representative Chrissy Houlahan, who sponsored the language, was quoted as saying at the time that the move would allow the government to "rededicate resources".

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

But BTS are proving that is not going to be the case for them, said American sociologist Sam Richards, a professor at Pennsylvania State University.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Earlier mills were better suited for wheat than corn, which was a staple in Pennsylvania and other mid-Atlantic colonies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

I attended a public elementary school in a small mill town in western Pennsylvania, and we had what we called “retention drills,” perhaps to make it sound less frightening.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

“Who knew,” Mom says, her voice filling with amazement, “that an inner-city Pennsylvania girl would meet a rural, upstate New York boy and discover true love?”

From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes