proper noun

• 1A state of the northwestern US, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean; population 6,549,224 (est. 2008); capital, Olympia. It became the 42nd state in 1889.

• 2

  (also Washington, D.C.)

  The capital of the US; population 591,833 (est. 2008). It is coextensive with the District of Columbia, a federal district on the Potomac River bordering on the states of Virginia and Maryland. Founded in 1790, during the presidency of George Washington, the city was planned by engineer Pierre-Charles L'Enfant (1754–1825) and built as the capital.

  1. 2.1Used in reference to the US government.
     More example sentences

     • ‘they warned of serious consequences if Washington said no’