United States

[ yoo-nahy-tid steyts ]

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

Other Words From

• anti–U·nit·ed States adjective
• pro–U·nit·ed States adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of United States¹

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

To test it, Ahmed conducted additional calculations on data taken from the Boise and Missouri rivers in the United States.

From Science Daily

In some countries within these regions, such as the United States, England, France, Japan and New Zealand, this shift is already occurring.

From Science Daily

Mr. Musk has promised to eliminate $2 trillion from the annual United States budget, and has said that the government needs only 99 agencies, not more than 400.

From New York Times

“Make no mistake: This information could be relevant to the question of Mr Gaetz’s confirmation as the next attorney general of the United States, and our constitutional responsibility of advice and consent,” Durbin said.

From BBC

Despite repeated claims from GOP corners that the United States gave Donald Trump a "mandate" on Election Day, the president-elect has still not secured a majority of the popular vote.

From Salon