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la

1 American  
[lah] / lɑ /

noun

Music.

  1. the syllable used for the sixth tone of a diatonic scale.

  2. (in the fixed system of solmization) the tone A.

la 2 American  
[law, lah] / lɔ, lɑ /

interjection

Archaic or Dialect.

  1. (used as an exclamation of wonder, surprise, etc.).

    La, sir, how you do go on!
La 3 American  
Symbol, Chemistry.

  1. lanthanum.

LA 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. Louisiana (approved especially for use with zip code).

La. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Louisiana.

L.A. 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Latin America.

  2. Law Agent.

  3. Library Association.

  4. Local Agent.

  5. Los Angeles.

LA 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. Legislative Assembly

  2. Library Association

  3. local agent

  4. Los Angeles

  5. Louisiana

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
La 2 British  

symbol

  1. lanthanum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
La. 3 British  

abbreviation

  1. Louisiana

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
la 4 British  
/ lɑː /

noun

  1. music a variant spelling of lah

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
la 5 British  
/ lɔː /

interjection

  1. an exclamation of surprise or emphasis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
la 6 British  

abbreviation

  1. Lao People's Democratic Republic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of la1

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; gamut

Origin of la2

before 1150; Middle English, Old English; weak variant of lā lo 1

Vocabulary lists containing la

Scrabble: Two-Letter Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The government has set up soup kitchens — the Sistema de Atención a la Familia, or Family Care System — to support the most vulnerable.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

“It’s disgusting,” said Janice Lintz, a veteran traveler who’s visited more than 170 countries, about the a la carte pricing model airlines have adopted.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

Seated on the reviewing stand at the Place de la Concorde, Trump grew animated as the aircraft began flying overhead, clapping and leaning toward Macron and his wife to point at the sky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

De la Fuente made 10 changes from Friday's 3-0 friendly win over Serbia, with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal the only player to keep his place, while Egypt were without injured Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

He made the honor roll every semester, but unburdened by practicalities, he had daydreams about leaving school, traveling the country à la Jack Kerouac—only writing songs instead of poems.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.