Oregon

[awr-i-guhn, ‑-gon, or‑]

noun

1. a state in the northwestern United States, on the Pacific coast. 96,981 square miles (251,180 square kilometers). Salem. OR (for use with zip code), Oreg., Ore.

2. a city in northwestern Ohio.

Oregon

/ ˈɒrɪɡən /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Oreg..  OR. a state of the northwestern US, on the Pacific: consists of the Coast and Cascade Ranges in the west and a plateau in the east; important timber production. Capital: Salem. Pop: 3 559 596 (2003 est). Area: 251 418 sq km (97 073 sq miles)

Oregon

1. State in the northwestern United States bordered by Washington to the north, Idaho to the east, Nevada and California to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its capital is Salem, and its largest city is Portland.

Before the coming of the railroads, the Oregon Trail was used as an overland emigration route from the Missouri River to the Columbia River country (all of which was then called Oregon).

Other Word Forms

• Oregonian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Oregon¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

The governors of California, Oregon and Washington announced the creation of the West Coast Health Alliance to keep their states’ health policies unified and grounded in science.

From Los Angeles Times

When Last Chance Grade is closed, the only alternative — aside from steep, unpaved logging roads — is a 449-mile, eight-hour detour circling through Redding and southern Oregon.

From Los Angeles Times

The only other state to do the same was Oregon.

From Salon

The cover photo speaks a thousand words, about the length of Orlean’s first assignment for an alt-weekly newspaper in Oregon: The red-headed author leans forward laughing as she steers a green go-kart.

From Los Angeles Times

Community School Parks exist in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, as well as the ones in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times