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

CalPERS, the California public employees retirement system and one of the country’s largest institutional investors, joined other pension funds in seeking a meeting last month with Musk over similar concerns.

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

It’s also allowed vote by mail for decades, expanding it during the COVID-19 pandemic so that every registered voter in California receives a mail ballot.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

While William Faulkner sweated in California trying to imagine what their lives must be like, hundreds of young airwomen were flying and fighting and dying over the battlefields of the Soviet Union.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein