Columbia

American  

[kuh-luhm-bee-uh] / kəˈlʌm bi ə /

noun

1. a river in southwestern Canada and the northwestern United States, flowing south and west from southeastern British Columbia through Washington along the boundary between Washington and Oregon and into the Pacific. 1,214 miles (1,955 km) long.

2. Cape Columbia, a cape on the northern coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, in the Arctic Ocean: northernmost point of Canada.

3. a city in and the capital of South Carolina, in the central part.

4. a city in central Missouri.

5. a city in central Maryland.

6. a city in central Tennessee.

7. a city in southeastern Pennsylvania.

8. Literary. the United States of America.

9. one of an American breed of large sheep, developed by crossbreeding the Lincoln and Rambouillet, noted for its good market lambs and heavy fleece of medium length.

10. Aerospace. the first space shuttle to orbit and return to earth.

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Columbia ¹ British  

/ kəˈlʌmbɪə /

noun

1. a river in NW North America, rising in the Rocky Mountains and flowing through British Columbia, then west to the Pacific. Length: about 1930 km (1200 miles)

2. a city in central South Carolina, on the Congaree River: the state capital. Pop: 117 357 (2003 est)

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Columbia ² British  

/ kəˈlʌmbɪə /

noun

1. the first test vehicle of the NASA space shuttle fleet to prove the possibility of routine access to space for scientific and commercial ventures

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Example Sentences

He has dual degrees from Columbia University in music and mathematics, which uses spreadsheets and modeling to solve real-world problems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Some marketers are even being sued for running misleading ads, according to RP Legal, a law firm based in Columbia, S.C.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Despite its federal losses, the party's provincial iterations still enjoy support and are the governing parties in British Columbia and Manitoba.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

No Kings organizers are hoping to break that record Saturday, when more than 3,000 events are planned across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with a main event in Minneapolis.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

The more my mother read about the Columbia High School team and the sport of fencing, the more boxes it checked off her list.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad