✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

the States

plural noun

informal
: the United States of America
My cousin from England is coming to visit me in the States.

Examples of the States in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Black radio stations in the States ignored him, but Guy became a hero for a crop of young, blues-loving British musicians, enraptured with his combination of thrash, distortion, and stage presence. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 30 Nov. 2025 Despite the accolades, the Leaf hasn't been doing too hot in the States. Charles Trepany, USA Today, 30 Nov. 2025 The 1% Club, The Great British Bake Off and The Weakest Link, all of which are currently on in the States, along with Outlast, the Netflix survival series BBC Studios makes with Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films that has aired for three seasons. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025 Where is this energy in the pop versions of funk that get pushed in the States? Rosamaria Garces, Billboard, 24 Nov. 2025 His little digs at mentality in the States grated at first. Phil Hay, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025 The gallery quickly gained a reputation for showing cutting-edge European artists, giving Gerhard Richter his first New York show and championing Arte Povera before the movement was widely appreciated in the States. News Desk, Artforum, 18 Nov. 2025 For years now here in the States, we’ve been visited by Ivo Van Hove and Thomas Ostermeier, Sam Mendes, Richard Jones, Simon Stone, and Jamie Lloyd. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025 Schlossberg later returned to the States and enrolled at Harvard University, earning both a Master of Business Administration and Juris Doctor. Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The States.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20States. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!