United States

American  

[yoo-nahy-tid steyts] / juˈnaɪ tɪd ˈsteɪts /

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

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of United States

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

See Examples For:

United States

The species is native to parts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico and is particularly important as a structural pest in California.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Nationally, National Transportation Safety Board data show that 16 people have died in eight fatal crashes involving news helicopters in the United States since 2000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

"These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

"I, as President of the United States, will not stand by and let this happen," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

From Barron's

After we left Rochester, we travelled all over the United States.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock