Pennsylvania

American  

[pen-suhl-veyn-yuh, -vey-nee-uh] / ˌpɛn səlˈveɪn yə, -ˈveɪ ni ə /

noun

1. a state in the eastern United States. 45,333 sq. mi. (117,410 sq. km). Harrisburg. PA (for use with zip code), Pa., Penn., Penna.

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Pennsylvania British  

/ ˌpɛnsɪlˈveɪnɪə /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Pa.   Penn.   Penna.   PA.  a state of the northeastern US: almost wholly in the Appalachians, with the Allegheny Plateau to the west and a plain in the southeast; the second most important US state for manufacturing. Capital: Harrisburg. Pop: 12 365 455 (2003 est). Area: 116 462 sq km (44 956 sq miles)

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Pennsylvania Cultural  

1. State in the northeastern United States bordered by Lake Erie and New York to the north; New Jersey to the east; Delaware, Maryland, and West Virginia to the south; and Ohio to the west. Its capital is Harrisburg, and its largest city is Philadelphia.

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Named after the father of William Penn, a devout Quaker, who was granted proprietary rights by the king of England to almost the whole of what is now Pennsylvania in the late seventeenth century.

One of the thirteen colonies.

Example Sentences

The bill has been introduced in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Nevada.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

About 55% of them voted for him in the 2024 election, many in swing states such as Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that had sided with Joe Biden — a Catholic — four years before.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

In his downtime he would travel by horse and buggy across Pennsylvania and neighboring states with what he called his "exhibition": a new-fangled Edison phonograph, a magic lantern slide projector and later on, movies.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

It took around four years to build a four-bedroom mountain modern home, which was inspired by the Vandamm House in the 1959 film “North by Northwest,” and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, Eberle said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

The newspaper said he would raise the flag over Independence Hall this week in Philadelphia, then journey on to the Pennsylvania capitol in Harrisburg.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan