United States of America

United States of America

English

United States of America

Etymology

First attested in 1776, see names of the United States.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /juːˌnaɪtɨd ˌsteɪts əv əˈmɛɹɨkə/
  • (General American, weak vowel merger) enPR: yo͞o-nīʹ-təd stātsʹ əv ə-mĕrʹ-ə-kə, IPA(key): /juˌnaɪtəd ˌsteɪts əv əˈmɛɹəkə/
  • Audio (UK):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛɹɪkə
  • Hyphenation: U‧nit‧ed States of A‧mer‧i‧ca

Proper noun

the United States of America

  2. A country located primarily in North America, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and consisting of fifty states (including Alaska and Hawaii) and the District of Columbia, while asserting sovereignty over several territories. Capital: Washington, D.C.. Largest city: New York City.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:United States of America
    Mexico and Canada border the United States of America.
    • 1777 November 15 [1776], Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, Philadelphia: Second Continental Congress, →OCLC, page 1:
      Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in Congreſs assembled did on the 15th day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states of Newhampſhire, Maſsachusetts-bay, Rhodeiſland and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in the Words following, viz. […]
      ARTICLE I. The Stile of this confederacy shall be "The United States of America."
    • 1942 April 28, Franklin Roosevelt, 30:57 from the start, in Fireside Chat 21: On Sacrifice‎[1], Miller Center:
      As we here at home contemplate our own duties, our own responsibilities, let us think and think hard of the example which is being set for us by our fighting men. Our soldiers and sailors are members of well disciplined units. But they are still and forever individuals -- free individuals. They are farmers, and workers, businessmen, professional men, artists, clerks. They are the United States of America. That is why they fight. We too are the United States of America. That is why we must work and sacrifice. It is for them. It is for us. It is for victory.
    • 2023 January 30, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Mark Walker, quoting Joe Biden, “Biden Visits Decrepit Rail Tunnel to Promote $1 Trillion Infrastructure Law”, in The New York Times‎[2], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 January 2023, Politics‎[3]:
      “The structure is deteriorating. The roof was leaking. The floor is sinking,” Mr. Biden said in a speech in front of the tunnel, the oldest in the Northeast, where the crowd included dozens of union workers. “This is the United States of America, for God’s sake. We know better than that.”

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

See also

Further reading

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