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.

Unified School District are seeing the steepest decline in enrollment in California, based on new state data posted Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

When Dawud Burke, D4vd's father, fought against the summons in a Texas court he included material from the California case that had not been previously available to the public.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The California city was once a drought poster child, but now it generates enough water to rescue parched states.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

“They are unwilling to depart with their wealth,” said John Duffy, an economics professor at the University of California, Irvine.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

"My hand hasn't been this tired since I instant-messaged my pen pal in California for an hour."

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene