Illinois Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Pronunciation

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Etymology

Examples

Illinois 1 American [il-uh-noi, -noiz] / ˌɪl əˈnɔɪ, -ˈnɔɪz /

noun

plural

Illinois

1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians of Algonquian stock, formerly occupying Illinois and adjoining regions westward.

2. the Algonquian language of the Illinois and Miami Indians.

Illinois 2 American [il-uh-noi, -noiz] / ˌɪl əˈnɔɪ, -ˈnɔɪz /

noun

1. a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 56,400 sq. mi. (146,075 sq. km). Springfield. IL (for use with zip code), Ill.

2. a river flowing southwest from northeastern Illinois to the Mississippi River: connected by a canal with Lake Michigan. 273 miles (440 km) long.

Illinois British / ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Ill.. IL. a state of the N central US, in the Midwest: consists of level prairie crossed by the Illinois and Kaskaskia Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Springfield. Pop: 12 653 544 (2003 est). Area: 144 858 sq km (55 930 sq miles)

2. a river in Illinois, flowing SW to the Mississippi. Length: 439 km (273 miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Illinois Cultural

1. State in the north-central United States bordered on the north by Wisconsin, the east by Indiana, the south by Kentucky, and the west by Missouri and Iowa. Its capital is Springfield, and its largest city is Chicago.

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of Illinois with a final , which occurs chiefly among less educated speakers, is least common in Illinois itself, increasing in frequency as distance from the state increases.

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Known as the “Land of Lincoln” because Abraham Lincoln began his political career there.

Etymology

Origin of Illinois

1715–25, < French, earlier Eriniouai, Ilinoués, etc., from an unidentified Algonquian language, apparently literally, “one who sounds normal” (i.e., “a person who speaks an Algonquian language”), equivalent to the (unattested) Proto-Algonquian elements elen- “ordinary” + -we “make sound”

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.

The Irvine, Calif.–based company currently manufactures vehicles at a plant in Illinois.

From MarketWatch

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in an Illinois federal court alleges that Costco owes its customers refunds related to tariffs deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court last month.

From The Wall Street Journal

So, with a top-10 Illinois team coming to town, Arenas fought to play.

From Los Angeles Times

Affected raw oysters were sold in Washington, while the Manila clams were distributed to restaurants and retailers in California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington, according to the FDA.

From Los Angeles Times

Jim Martin, an Illinois farmer who grows soybeans, corn and other crops, said fertilizer and input costs were "everybody's nightmare right now."

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.