american state
Học thuậtThân thiện
A colorful map shows the outline of an American state with its capital city marked.
Definition
Noun: 1. A constituent political entity of the United States of America: An "American state" is one of the 50 individual, sovereign political units that together form the federal union of the United States. Each state has its own government, constitution, and defined territory.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- California is a populous American state on the West Coast.
- The treaty required the approval of each American state.
- She has visited over twenty different American states.
Advanced Usage
- "The several states": A formal term often used in legal and historical contexts to refer collectively to the individual American states, emphasizing their distinct sovereignty within the union.
- The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution are reserved to the several states.
- "Sovereign state" (in the U.S. context): Used to describe the independent governmental authority possessed by each American state, though subordinate to the federal Constitution.
- In many areas, such as education, each American state operates as a sovereign state.
Variants and Related Words
- State (n): The more common, abbreviated form used within the U.S. context (e.g., the state of Texas). "American state" is often used for clarity in international or formal contexts.
- Commonwealth (n): The official designation for four American states: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Their status and function are identical to other states.
- U.S. state (n): A fully synonymous term for "American state".
Synonyms
- Member state (of the United States)
- Constituent state (of the Union)
Related Phrases
- State government: The governing body of an American state.
- The state government is responsible for issuing driver's licenses.
- State law: Legislation enacted by a specific American state.
- State law varies on this issue from one American state to another.
- State line / state border: The boundary between two American states.
- They live just across the state line.
Related Idioms
- "To state the obvious": (While not directly about an American state, this idiom uses the verb form. It is included here as it is a common homographic idiom.) To say something that is already clearly known or evident.
- It may be stating the obvious, but water is essential for life.
A colorful map shows the outline of an American state with its capital city marked.
Noun
- one of the 50 states of the United States