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Rhode Island

American  
[rohd] / roʊd /

noun

  1. a state of the northeastern United States, on the Atlantic coast: a part of New England. 1,214 square miles (3,145 square kilometers). Providence. RI (for use with zip code), R.I.

Rhode Island British  
/ rəʊd /

noun

  1. Abbreviations: R.I.   RI.  a state of the northeastern US, bordering on the Atlantic: the smallest state in the US; mainly low-lying and undulating, with an indented coastline in the east and uplands in the northwest Capital: Providence. Pop: 1 076 164 (2003 est). Area: 2717 sq km (1049 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Rhode Island Cultural  

  1. State in the northeastern United States; one of the New England states. Bordered by Massachusetts to the north and east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and Connecticut to the west. Its capital and largest city is Providence.

Discover More

After he was banished from Massachusetts for speaking out in favor of religious toleration, Roger Williams established the first settlement in the area at Providence in the early seventeenth century.

One of the thirteen colonies.

Rhode Island is the smallest state of the United States.

Other Word Forms

  • Rhode Islander noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Among the healthier options are whole-grain breads, some soy and almond milks and some plant-based meat alternatives, said Maya Vadiveloo, associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Travel bans and school closures are still in place for Rhode Island and parts of Massachusetts as residents dig out of the storm.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

More than two feet of snow blanketed much of the region from Sunday into Monday, with coastal areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts particularly hard hit.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

“Sometimes when I cover a crime scene in Rhode Island, it’s just me and the local NBC and CBS affiliate,” he said.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

The ship anchored in wide Narragansett Bay, near what is now Providence, Rhode Island.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.