state

noun (COUNTRY)

/steɪt/

Definition

C1 [C or U] a country or its government: The drought is worst in the central African states. Britain is one of the member states of the European Union. The government was determined to reduce the number of state-owned industries. Some theatres receive a small amount of funding from the state.formal His diary included comments on affairs/matters of state (= information about government activities).Country and nationContinents and regions of the worldCountry names B1 [C] a part of a large country with its own government, such as in Germany, Australia, or the US: Alaska is the largest state in the US. Representatives are elected from each state.Parts of countries the States informal › used to refer to the USCountry namesCountry and nationContinents and regions of the world in state › If a king, queen, or government leader does something in state, they do it in a formal way as part of an official ceremony: The Queen rode in state to the opening of Parliament.Ceremonies

(Definition of state noun (COUNTRY) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)