oregon

IPA/ˈɒr.ɪ.ɡən/
KK[ˈɔrəɡən]IPA/ˈɔːr.ɪ.ɡən/

oregon — noun

1. a US state in the Pacific Northwest, between Washington and California, with Sal

1.noun
Definition

a US state in the Pacific Northwest, between Washington and California, with Salem as its capital and Portland as its largest city

Example

Henrik drove from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, in just under three hours.

city, state pattern: Portland, Oregon

Lien spent a rainy afternoon walking along the Oregon coast near Cannon Beach.

Oregon as modifier before a noun: Oregon coast

Common collocations
  • Oregon coast
  • Oregon Trail
  • southern Oregon
  • eastern Oregon

Usage Note

Oregon is often used as a modifier before nouns without changing form (Oregon coast, Oregon wine, Oregon Trail). When naming a city within the state in formal writing, the standard pattern is 'Portland, Oregon' with a comma between city and state.

Common Mistakes

Salem is the largest city in Oregon.
Portland is the largest city in Oregon.
Salem is the capital, but Portland has the largest population.
I visited Oregon state last summer.
I visited Oregon last summer.
Oregon already names the state; adding 'state' sounds redundant in most contexts.

Word family

  • Oregonian
    nounB2
  • Oregonian
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Oregon is one specific state within the Pacific Northwest (often shortened to PNW), a broader region that also includes the state of Washington and parts of Idaho and British Columbia. Learners sometimes use 'Pacific Northwest' when they mean just Oregon, or vice versa. If you spent a week in Portland, say 'I visited Oregon,' not 'I visited the Pacific Northwest' — the region covers a much larger area. Use Oregon when referring to the state itself, and Pacific Northwest when speaking about the wider region's climate, culture, or geography.

the Pacific NorthwestPNW

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Oregon coast
  • Oregon Trail
  • Oregon wine country

Phrases

  • Portland, Oregon
  • eastern Oregon
  • southern Oregon
  • central Oregon

Prepositions

  • in Oregon
  • from Oregon
  • to Oregon

Etymology

uncertainFrenchEnglish

The origin of the name Oregon is uncertain. It first appeared in print in 1765 as 'Ouragon' in a proposal by British army officer Robert Rogers, who used it for a region around a mythical river flowing west. Some scholars believe it may come from the French word ouragan ('hurricane'), referring to the strong winds along the Columbia River. Others trace it to a Native American word or a Spanish term. The name was adopted for the Oregon Territory in 1848 and for the state when it joined the Union in 1859.