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

After a similar flood of messages, a Chinese-American student named Winston Lee at the University of Pennsylvania added a disclaimer to his LinkedIn profile: "I do not go to Cornell."

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

The BBC spoke to residents of Indiana, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Oregon, all of whom have been organising locally against the development of data centres.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Johnson completed her master's degree at Penn State and is now pursuing a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

“When we find out the herd is way ahead of us, it can be demotivating,” said Katy Milkman, an economist and professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

On the actual day of the inauguration, however, Jefferson did not have Adams by his side as he rode down a stump-infested Pennsylvania Avenue to the yet-unfinished capitol.

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

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