Pennsylvania

American  

[pen-suhl-veyn-yuh, -vey-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.

---

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)

---

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.

---

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

It has taken two years, but the parents of the late Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. have finally been able to express appreciation for the efforts of authorities in the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

Alex Proie in Pennsylvania picked up her ring, made from the gold and diamonds in her five-year anniversary band, a couple of weeks ago and is still wrestling with a mix of feelings.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

The study involved researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

From Science Daily • Jul. 3, 2026

Dave is a Pennsylvania native who studied visual journalism and political science at Penn State University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

Some states like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts had begun to abolish slavery along with the slave trade.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis