| abolition |
(capitalized) the end of slavery in the United States. [1/2 definitions] |
| abolitionism |
a movement in the United States in the 1800s whose goal was to free the people who were slaves and make slavery against the law. |
| acre |
a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet, used to measure land. The acre is a standard unit of measurement in the United States and the United Kingdom. |
| admiral |
an officer in the United States Navy of the highest rank; the commander of a fleet of ships or military unit. |
| Alabama |
a state in the southeastern United States. Its capital is Montgomery. (abbreviated: AL) |
| Alaska |
a state of the United States on the northwestern coast of North America. Its capital is Juneau. (abbreviated: AK) |
| all-American |
chosen as one of the best players in the United States in a particular sport. [1/2 definitions] |
| alligator |
a large reptile with short legs, a long body and tail, and a long, wide snout. Alligators are protected by thick skin with many hard bumps. They live in rivers, lakes, swamps, and other bodies of water in the southeast United States and in China. They usually eat insects, fish, turtles, snakes, birds, and other water animals, but have been known to attack small land mammals. They are closely related to crocodiles. Chinese alligators are endangered because their habitat is being changed by people. |
| America |
the United States. [1/3 definitions] |
| American |
of or having to do with the United States, or its people or language. [3/5 definitions] |
| American English |
the English language as spoken and written in the United States. |
| Apache |
a member of a North American Indian people living mostly in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. |
| Appalachia |
a region in the United States that stretches from southwestern Pennsylvania to northwestern Georgia and includes the southern Appalachian Mountains. |
| Appalachian Mountains |
a mountain range in eastern North America that stretches from the southeastern part of Canada to central Alabama in the United States; Appalachians. |
| area code |
a set of three numbers given to different areas of the United States and Canada for telephone service. An area code must be dialed before the telephone number when calling someone outside a local area. |
| Arizona |
a state in the southwestern United States. Its capital is Phoenix. (abbreviated: AZ) |
| Arkansas |
a state in the south central United States. Its capital is Little Rock. (abbreviated: AR) |
| armadillo |
a mammal whose body is protected by hard, bony plates. Armadillos live in Central and South America, and the southern United States. Some kinds of armadillos are only six inches long; other kinds grow up to four feet in length. They eat mostly insects and are related to sloths and anteaters. |
| baby boom |
the great increase in the population of the United States that took place between 1946 and 1960. |
| bald eagle |
a large eagle of the United States and Canada that is dark brown with a white head and tail. Bald eagles have a wingspan of about seven feet. |
| balsam fir |
a tree of the pine family, native to Canada and the northeastern United States. It is an evergreen tree and is cut for lumber and Christmas trees. |