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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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

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,066 confirmed cases of measles so far in the state since an outbreak began in April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Meta earlier this year signed a 20-year agreement with Vistra that included 433 megawatts of generation-output increases across three plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“I said to Otto, ‘I’ll have to bring my folks from Pennsylvania, and Jeff is coming and his mother,’ and Otto said, ‘Well, it looks like you’ll have your own Exodus going.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The couple, from Pennsylvania in the US, wanted a destination wedding that would take their family and friends on an adventure with them.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Reports from New York and Pennsylvania suggested a strong surge for Jefferson, who was clearly the main threat.

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