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• Thirteen Colonies
  Thirteen Colonies

  plural noun

  the thirteen British colonies in North America that joined together and became the United States of America after adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
• thirteen colonies
  thirteen colonies

  The colonies that composed the original United States in 1776: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Thirteen Colonies

American  

plural noun

1. the thirteen British colonies in North America that joined together and became the United States of America after adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

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thirteen colonies Cultural  

1. The colonies that composed the original United States in 1776: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Thirteen Colonies thirteen colonies

"Together, these records offer a more complex and enlightening account of the Revolution, showing how its consequences were felt far beyond the Thirteen Colonies," Cunningham added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Users have pointed out that the American flag decal on the phone’s case does not display the flag properly, showing 11 stripes instead of 13 to represent the Thirteen Colonies.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

It was later captured by HMS Maidstone in 1778 while supporting the Thirteen Colonies in the American War of Independence.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2021

The works of Shakespeare have been an integral part of the American dream since the first settlement of the Thirteen Colonies, in part through the accident of timing.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 9, 2016

Never was a country richer in the elements of strength than were the Thirteen Colonies when their independence was acknowledged by England.

From A Leap in the Dark A Criticism of the Principles of Home Rule as Illustrated by the Bill of 1893 by Dicey, Albert Venn

Following the war’s conclusion, the first written constitution, known as the Articles of Confederation, was drafted in 1776–1777 and ratified by the thirteen colonies in 1781.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

Under his left hand lay thirteen rods, bound like the thirteen colonies themselves.

From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2015

The pamphlet proved immensely popular and was soon available in all thirteen colonies, where it helped convince many to reject monarchy and the British Empire in favor of independence and a republican form of government.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 30, 2014

This is no time to persuade the British public . . . that British greed and tyranny had solidly united the thirteen colonies in a white-hot fury of revolution.

From Time Magazine Archive

By 1776, when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, there were 500,000 African Americans enslaved among the 2.5 million people in the thirteen colonies.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis