California

[kal-uh-fawrn-yuh, -fawr-nee-uh] / ˌkæl əˈfɔrn yə, -ˈfɔr ni ə /

NOUN

u.s. state

Synonyms

WEAK

Bear Flag State Cal El Dorado Gold Coast Gold Rush State Golden Bear State Golden Poppy State Golden State La La Land Sunkist State

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter was first reported in California in the early 1990s and is native to the southeastern U.S. and northeastern Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

After the 2025 fires in southern California even pols like Mr. Newsom at least pretended to acknowledge the need to manage the Golden State’s landscape aggressively to reduce fire risk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Questions about investigations over Fifa's ticket prices - launched by the attorneys general of California, New Jersey, New York and now Texas - were batted away.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

She also served three terms in the California Assembly.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

During that turbulent final week of July 1943, William Faulkner was on the other side of the world in Hollywood, California, feverishly pulling together the screenplay for the sweeping wartime movie Battle Cry.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein