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.

---

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

The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, grandmother, then 76, looked frail but resolute.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

She celebrated her 97th birthday with a recital at Lebanon Valley College, Pennsylvania; and returned to Decca in 2022 to record what would become her final album.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Tiffany Kahl, who owns a tanning and wellness salon in Pennsylvania, hunts business-class travel deals as a hobby and subscribes to Thrifty Traveler.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and also competed on the school’s men’s varsity swimming team.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Early Sunday morning, Garfield's regular Washington physician, Dr. Jedediah Baxter, came back to the capital from a trip to Pennsylvania.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow