Kansas

[ kan-zuhs ]

/ ˈkæn zəs /

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noun

a state in the central United States: a part of the Midwest. 82,276 sq. mi. (213,094 sq. km). Capital: Topeka. Abbreviations: KS (for use with zip code), Kans., Kan., Kas.

a river in northeastern Kansas, flowing east to the Missouri River. 169 miles (270 km) long.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Words nearby Kansas

kanone, Kanpur, kans, Kansa, Kansan, Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas City steak, Kansas City style, Kansas gay-feather, Kansas-Nebraska Act

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Kansas in a sentence

In North Carolina and Kansas, the state’s Democratic governors have been pushing efforts to expand Medicaid, and Democrats and health care advocates in other states have waged years-long campaigns without much progress.
Democrats' Push to Expand Medicaid Depends on Red States Taking the Bait|Abigail Abrams|February 14, 2021|Time
A 29-yard punt by the Chiefs’ Tommy Townsend set up the Buccaneers at the Kansas City 38-yard line.
Buccaneers defeat Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, 31-9, as Tom Brady claims his seventh championship|Mark Maske|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
They’ve knocked off Kansas at home and picked off Texas Tech, Marquette and Wichita State on the road.
NCAA tournament bracketology: Oklahoma State will probably make it despite its postseason ban|Patrick Stevens|January 26, 2021|Washington Post
As of early this week, states not ordering up to their limits included Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas, according to Michael Pratt, a former Health and Human Services spokesman.
‘Pixie dust’: Why some vaccine sits on shelves while shortages intensify nationwide|Isaac Stanley-Becker, Lena H. Sun|January 22, 2021|Washington Post

When Chandler moved to Kansas, for example, he quarantined for five days.
In search of top competition, high school basketball powerhouses are still crisscrossing the country|Kyle Melnick|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
"That was crazy," Lynn Jenkins of Kansas muttered to another member as she walked to greet Boehner.
Democrats Accidentally Save Boehner From Republican Coup|Ben Jacobs, Jackie Kucinich|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Texas Republicans, for example, got close to half the vote among Latinos in that state, and similar results were found in Kansas.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah will never come anywhere close to being purple.
Dems, It’s Time to Dump Dixie|Michael Tomasky|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An 18-year-old was killed by police officers after opening fire on a cop with two guns in Kansas City in late October.
The 14 Teens Killed by Cops Since Michael Brown|Nina Strochlic|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These agricultural pests migrate in mid-summer to the Rocky Mountains from Kansas and Nebraska to beat the heat.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew that the poor girl from Kansas must get up with the sun, too, for her uncle was not the man to brook any dawdling.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
“Lecompton” constitution of Kansas was a pro-slavery document which Buchanan favoured.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
It was months before Lawrence saw him again, and then it was in a prison pen at Kansas City.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
To the lapel of his coat they had pinned a paper on which was written, "The fate that awaits all Kansas Jayhawkers."
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
A boat coming along, they took passage for Lexington, the boat making quite a long stop at Kansas City.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for Kansas

Kansas

/ (ˈkænzəs) /

noun

a state of the central US: consists of undulating prairie, drained chiefly by the Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri Rivers; mainly agricultural. Capital: Topeka. Pop: 2 723 507 (2003 est). Area: 213 096 sq km (82 277 sq miles)Abbreviation: Kan, Kans, (with zip code) KS

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

Cultural definitions for Kansas

Kansas

State in the central United States bordered by Nebraska to the north, Missouri to the east, Oklahoma to the south, and Colorado to the west. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita.

notes for Kansas

In the 1850s, the state came to be known as “bleeding Kansas” because of the violence between hostile free-staters and pro-slavery settlers.