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.

Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California several times before he was sworn in as a federal prosecutor in 2001.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

In 1997, the California Supreme Court pronounced the theory “utterly without merit.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

The University of California, Berkeley poll suggested that congressman Eric Swalwell, former congresswoman Katie Porter, and billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer had the most support among the eight Democrats running.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

At UCLA, the master’s of social welfare — which runs for eight quarter sessions — amounts to more than $65,000 for California residents without financial aid.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

There were more earthquakes here in Alaska than anywhere in the lower forty-eight states, even California.

From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis