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Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City

138 1.0
A city in the United States that is the capital and largest in Oklahoma
  • proper noun
  • /ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə ˈsɪti/
: Oklahoma City
  • At Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, service people repair and maintain large aircraft.
  • Oklahoma City bombing
  • Oklahoma City, OK
  • Headquarters in Oklahoma City

When Joe's cat died, a lot of them got sold to this strange bone museum in Oklahoma City.

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Examples

  • Finally, it's a good day to be a Thunder fan here in Oklahoma City... ...as last night, Kevin Durant just broke out of his slump... ...scoring 32 big points in the second half... ...hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer as the Thunder come back in grand style... ...and beat the Hornets...

  • During the 1999 season, four storm-chasing tour companies also based their operations in the Oklahoma City-Norman area.

    Academic text (1999)
  • We'll take you to Oklahoma City, then you best be on your way, all right?

  • Just wire it to Western Union in Oklahoma City, okay?

  • I need you to find all the secondary roads to Mexico from Oklahoma City.

  • A local player from right here in Oklahoma City could be the next Kevin Durant.

  • The next in-person Executive Committee meeting will be held in Oklahoma City on April 18, 19, and 20, 1997.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Linda Lowery, the Operations Manager at the headquarters office in Oklahoma City, recently got a new digital camera.

    Academic text (2002)
  • In the Rodeo Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, there are just two cowgirls.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I went to Oklahoma City to explore its vibrant oil and livestock industries.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Oklahoma + city

This is a straightforward toponym combining the known place name 'Oklahoma' with the noun 'city'; a B1 learner who knows both constituents will infer it refers to a city located in or associated with Oklahoma. Place-name compounding (state/place + city) is cross-linguistically common and follows predictable compositional patterns, so the meaning is transparent.

Etymology

Oklahoma City gets its name from Oklahoma, a word from a Native American language that means 'red people', and the word city simply shows it is a town. The town grew very fast after an 1889 'land run' when people rushed in to claim land, so picture a crowd running onto the plains and a new town starting up, which is why Oklahoma City became the state's main city and capital.