United States

[yoo-nahy-tid steyts]

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. Official Name United States of America. a federal republic in the northern Western Hemisphere comprising 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the North Pacific, and in some contexts considered along with its five inhabited island territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, North Mariana Islands,American Samoa ). Conterminous United States, 3,119,885 square miles (8,080,465 square kilometers); with Alaska and Hawaii, 3,796,742 square miles (9,833,517 square kilometers); all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the island territories, 3,805,927 square miles (9,857,306 square kilometers) Washington, D.C. U.S., US

Other Word Forms

• anti–United States adjective
• pro–United States adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of United States¹

First recorded in 1600–10, in reference to the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and in 1770–80 for the United States of America ( def. )

Example Sentences

Machine gun conversion switches are illegal in the United States and are mostly manufactured overseas.

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“The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans,” the department said.

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In that document, the administration called the cartels “designated terrorist organizations” and said it “determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.”

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South Africa become the seventh African country to qualify for the expanded 48-team World Cup next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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This year's annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank are taking place in Washington against the backdrop of renewed trade tensions between the United States and China.

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