state

American  

[steyt] / steɪt /

noun

• states
  plural

1. the condition of a person or thing, as with respect to circumstances or attributes.

   a state of health.

2. the condition of matter with respect to structure, form, constitution, phase, or the like.

   water in a gaseous state.

3. status, rank, or position in life; station.

   He dresses in a manner befitting his state.

   Synonyms:

   standing

4. the style of living befitting a person of wealth and high rank.

   to travel in state.

5. a particular condition of mind or feeling.

   to be in an excited state.

6. an abnormally tense, nervous, or perturbed condition.

   He's been in a state since hearing about his brother's death.

7. a politically unified people occupying a definite territory; nation.

8. the territory, or one of the territories, of a government.

9. Sometimes State any of the bodies politic which together make up a federal union, as in the United States of America.

10. the body politic as organized for civil rule and government (distinguished from church).

11. the operations or activities of a central civil government.

    affairs of state.

12. Also called State Department.  Informal. State. the Department of State.

13. Printing. a set of copies of an edition of a publication which differ from others of the same printing because of additions, corrections, or transpositions made during printing or at any time before publication.

14. Informal. the States, the United States (usually used outside its borders).

    After a year's study in Spain, he returned to the States.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the central civil government or authority.

2. made, maintained, or chartered by or under the authority of one of the commonwealths that make up a federal union: a state bank.

   a state highway;

   a state bank.

3. characterized by, attended with, or involving ceremony.

   a state dinner.

   Synonyms:

   dignified, imposing, ceremonial, stately

4. used on or reserved for occasions of ceremony.

verb (used with object)

• states,
  present (3rd person singular)
• stated,
  past participle,  past
• stating
  present participle

1. to declare definitely or specifically.

   She stated her position on the case.

   Synonyms:

   affirm, asseverate, assert, aver

2. to set forth formally in speech or writing.

   to state a hypothesis.

3. to set forth in proper or definite form.

   to state a problem.

4. to say.

5. to fix or settle, as by authority.

   Synonyms:

   determine

idioms

1. state of mind. see state of mind.

2. lie in state, (of a corpse) to be exhibited publicly with honors before burial.

   The president's body lay in state for two days.

state British  

/ steɪt /

noun

1. the condition of a person, thing, etc, with regard to main attributes

2. the structure, form, or constitution of something

   a solid state

3. any mode of existence

4. position in life or society; estate

5. ceremonious style, as befitting wealth or dignity

   to live in state

6. a sovereign political power or community

7. the territory occupied by such a community

8. the sphere of power in such a community

   affairs of state

9. (often capital) one of a number of areas or communities having their own governments and forming a federation under a sovereign government, as in the US

10. (often capital) the body politic of a particular sovereign power, esp as contrasted with a rival authority such as the Church

11. obsolete a class or order; estate

12. informal a nervous, upset, or excited condition (esp in the phrase in a state )

13. (of a body) to be placed on public view before burial

14. a situation; present circumstances or condition

15. the current situation

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1. controlled or financed by a state

   state university

2. of, relating to, or concerning the State

   State trial

3. involving ceremony or concerned with a ceremonious occasion

   state visit

verb

1. to articulate in words; utter

2. to declare formally or publicly

   to state one's innocence

3. to resolve

state More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing state

• in a lather (state)
• in state
• ship of state

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Synonym Usage

State, condition, situation, status are terms for existing circumstances or surroundings. State is the general word, often with no concrete implications or material relationships: the present state of affairs. Condition carries an implication of a relationship to causes and circumstances: The conditions made flying impossible. Situation suggests an arrangement of circumstances, related to one another and to the character of a person: He was master of the situation. Status carries official or legal implications; it suggests a complete picture of interrelated circumstances as having to do with rank, position, standing, a stage reached in progress, etc.: the status of negotiations. See maintain.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• statehood
  noun
• substate
  noun
• counterstate
  verb
• outstate
  verb (used with object)
• antistate
  adjective
• statable
  adjective
• stateable
  adjective
• unstatable
  adjective
• unstateable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• states
  plural

Participles

• stating
  present
• stated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• state
  simple
• states
  simple
• have stated
  perfect
• has stated
  perfect
• am stating
  progressive
• are stating
  progressive
• is stating
  progressive
• have been stating
  perfect progressive
• has been stating
  perfect progressive

Past

• stated
  simple
• had stated
  perfect
• was stating
  progressive
• were stating
  progressive
• had been stating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will state
  simple
• will have stated
  perfect
• will be stating
  progressive
• will have been stating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of state

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English noun stat(e), partly from estat estate, partly from Latin status “condition” ( see status); the meanings state in defs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 derive from Latin status (rērum) ) “state (of things)” or status (reī pūblicae) “state (of the republic)”

Explanation

State can be a condition — like solid, liquid, or gas, or even sad or happy. It can also be a state as in Idaho or New York. To state is to say something. State comes from the Latin status, meaning "condition of a country." Interestingly, even before the Revolutionary War, Britain called the American colonies states. The “States” still refers to America, but state can refer to any country’s civil government. The idea of state as a physical or emotional condition came later. Depending on your state of mind, you can state that the state of your state is awesome. Unless it’s in a state of emergency, which is no good.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

state states stated stating

TikTok, Snapchat and Google-owned YouTube have also been sued by thousands of families, school districts and prosecutors across the country in various local, state and federal lawsuits.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Wilcox said some Manchester Arena survivors had become destitute after losing their income and that lawyers had often been left arranging support that should have come from the state.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

At least 145 others had been taken in Niger state.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

The district has sought to squeeze more money from the state and feds by billing Medicaid for health-related spending like school psychologists and nurses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The sisters received requests to appear around the state and into Kentucky throughout the summer of 1851.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

With two convictions and nearly $1 billion in damages already stacked up, Meta will face another trial starting this week about alleged harms to children in a case brought by four US states.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

In July, federal agencies linked Taylor-supplied shredded iceberg lettuce, served at some Taco Bell locations, to thousands of cyclosporiasis illnesses across multiple states.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Federal agencies are investigating cyberattacks targeting municipal water systems in a dozen states.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

The scientists examined the bacterial membrane to determine the chemical states in which the uranium was present.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in the states that had rebelled.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

For anyone keeping score, that leaves Trump’s publicly stated resume including businessman, president, golf-course owner — and, apparently, one of the world’s foremost grass experts.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

The idea that the school has a history of success, and they want to get back there, was the cornerstone of the event — without it being explicitly stated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Her manager has stated clearly her team needs trophies.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

"These direct talks present a unique opportunity," it stated, urging "all concerned to support this effort to deliver tangible results for Venezuelans."

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Osage chief stated that his people “had no choice, they must either sign the treaty or be declared enemies of the United States.”

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Bass spokesperson Ilanna Morales said the mayor was simply stating what public health officials had determined, which was that conditions didn’t warrant a mandatory evacuation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

The Panama-based Nobel laureate has said that she does not oppose the negotiations going ahead, stating that she would not attend.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

That led to Bridgen suing for libel, stating that people would have believed him to be antisemitic.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Between 2018 and 2022, a client in Southern California who owned commercial and residential real estate applied for several mortgages stating that they would live in the properties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

“This doesn’t look good,” he muttered, because stating the obvious was apparently something they taught in law school.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Related Words

• affirm
• articulate
• describe
• explain
• expound
• express
• give
• present
• put
• say
• set forth
• speak
• specify
• tell
• voice