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.

It took Landon Donovan, the laid-back California kid with the number 10 on his back, to change that.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Measure ER passing would raise the countywide sales tax to 10.25%, with some individual cities having a sales tax of more than 11%, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

And California teachers have been waging a coordinated statewide campaign, winning new contracts in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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

At Edwards Air Force Base in California, Major Richard Heyser spent the afternoon of October 13 trying to get some sleep.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin