San Francisco

American  

[san fruhn-sis-koh, fran-] / ˌsæn frənˈsɪs koʊ, fræn- /

noun

1. a seaport in W California, on San Francisco Bay: earthquake and fire 1906; United Nations Conference 1945.

---

San Francisco British  

/ ˌsæn frænˈsɪskəʊ /

noun

1. a port in W California, situated around the Golden Gate: developed rapidly during the California gold rush; a major commercial centre and one of the world's finest harbours. Pop: 751 682 (2003 est)

---

San Francisco Cultural  

1. A city in northern California.

---

Discover More

A major West Coast intellectual center.

Also, a center of gay culture.

Known for its history of major earthquakes.

Site of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Other Word Forms

• San Franciscan adjective

Example Sentences

The funding request, included in the White House's proposed 2027 budget, would cover the first year of converting the San Francisco Bay site into what officials describe as a "state-of-the-art secure prison facility."

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of California, San Francisco, also contributed.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Sylmar 5, San Francisco Lincoln 2: Tim Sepulveda had two hits and three RBIs while Rickee Luevano went three for three to lead Sylmar.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

The airline is adding doors in Polaris on its fancy new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, which start service from San Francisco in April.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

San Francisco was almost one hundred miles away and he didn’t think earthquakes covered that much territory.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret