West Virginia

American  

noun

1. a state in the eastern United States. 24,181 sq. mi. (62,629 sq. km). Charleston. WV (for use with zip code), W.Va.

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West Virginia British  

noun

1. Abbreviation: W Va, W. Va., WV. a state of the eastern US: part of Virginia until the outbreak of the American Civil War (1861); consists chiefly of the Allegheny Plateau; bounded on the west by the Ohio River; coal-mining. Capital: Charleston. Pop: 1 810 354 (2003 est). Area: 62 341 sq km (24 070 sq miles)

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West Virginia Cultural  

1. State in the southeastern United States bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the north, Virginia to the east and south, and Kentucky and Ohio to the west. Its capital and largest city is Charleston.

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Ranks first in bituminous coal production, with about twenty percent of the nation's total.

Separated from Virginia after Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861; it was granted statehood in 1863, during the Civil War.

Other Word Forms

• West Virginian
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

West Virginia

We’d seen other new operators file similarly casual ones as they sought to register private schools in West Virginia.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

West Virginia defines microschools as schools that charge tuition and are started by one or more teachers.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

The figure varied widely by state: In West Virginia, the average cost was $1,800; in Alaska, it was $430, according to data from Insurify.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

If he doesn’t, we’ll watch billions of dollars go to kids in states like New York, Ohio and West Virginia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

My heart was aching for Cletus, for I knew there was little in life he really wanted this bad, this chance to see the West Virginia State Capitol.

From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant