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.

“There’s this common ground here,” said Nemiah Guimbatan, 30, a first-time attendee from California.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

The Keith painting is “quintessential California, a romanticized view of the Sierra Nevada range. William Keith, the painter, was friends with John Muir,” Falcone said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

In California, mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day are legally counted as they arrive in the days following.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

California uses “blanket” primaries, which means the top-two vote-getters advance to the general election regardless of party.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

Fully eight months later, I was in a boatyard farther south in California, getting my bottom paint renewed, and there was a state or county peace officer in the same boatyard.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen