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Glite Dictionary
American state

American state

3 1.0
One of the fifty parts of the United States with its own government and laws
  • noun
  • /əˈmɛrɪkən steɪt/
  • US
translation icon : estado americano
  • The population under analysis is the 50 American states.
  • the 50 American states
  • other American states

I find too like the southern States and like the real like American states.

Examples

  • Beginning with Massachusetts in 1852 and New York the following year, American states issued mandatory schooling laws for youth.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Second, cutbacks to federal environmental programs in the U.S. and severe budgetary constraints in American states certainly pose challenges for cross-border initiatives.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Hey, everybody, settle in and let's hear a story about the great American state of Oklahoma.

    Blog text (19)

  • There is no American state, city or municipality where you can vote twice.

  • One study took place in Canada, one in the Netherlands, and the remainder in various locations through 10 American states.

    Academic text (2014)

  • And the reigning champion among American states for corporate law is Delaware.

  • The state legislature sent to his office the most restrictive anti-abortion legislation yet seen in an American state house.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Ninety-four participants representing eighteen American states and four other countries attended the four-and-a-half-day event.

    Academic text (1992)

  • By the time America's Constitution was drafted, most of the American states had adopted laws or constitutions that explicitly protected basic liberties.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Hawaii is the only American state that was once a kingdom.

Synonyms

state
vsAmerican state
∞ 1.0

A country or region that has its own government

refers specifically to one of fifty political divisions within a single country

Surface Forms

American state singular
American states plural

Morphology

American + state

The phrase is fully compositional: the adjective 'American' specifies which kind of 'state' is meant, so a learner who knows 'American' (relating to the USA) and 'state' (a political/regional entity) can infer 'one of the political divisions of the United States.' This simple adjective + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and not idiomatic, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

The name American state comes from early times when different regions each had their own government and were called a state. The word American shows it belongs to the United States, so today American state means 'one of the 50 parts of the country'.