STATE


Meaning of STATE in English

/ steɪt; NAmE / noun , adjective , verb

■ noun

CONDITION OF SB / STH

1.

[ C ] the mental, emotional or physical condition that a person or thing is in :

a confused state of mind

He was in a state of permanent depression.

anxieties about the state of the country's economy

The building is in a bad state of repair (= needs to be repaired) .

She was in a state of shock .

( BrE , informal )

Look at the state of you! You can't go out looking like that.

You're not in a fit state to drive.

➡ note at condition

COUNTRY

2.

(also State ) [ C ] a country considered as an organized political community controlled by one government :

the Baltic States

European Union member states

—see also city state , nation state , police state , welfare state

➡ note at country

PART OF COUNTRY

3.

(also State ) [ C ] ( abbr. St. ) an organized political community forming part of a country :

the states of Victoria and Western Australia

the southern states of the US

GOVERNMENT

4.

(also the State ) [ U , sing. ] the government of a country :

matters / affairs of state

people who are financially dependent on the state

a state-owned company

They wish to limit the power of the State.

OFFICIAL CEREMONY

5.

[ U ] the formal ceremonies connected with high levels of government or with kings and queens :

The president was driven in state through the streets.

THE US

6.

the States [ pl. ] ( informal ) the United States of America :

I've never been to the States.

IDIOMS

- be in / get into a state

- in a state of grace

- a state of affairs

- the state of play

■ adjective

(also State ) [ only before noun ]

GOVERNMENT

1.

provided or controlled by the government of a country :

state education

families dependent on state benefits (= in Britain, money given by the government to people who are poor)

state secrets (= information that could be harmful to a country if it were discovered by an enemy)

OFFICIAL

2.

connected with the leader of a country attending an official ceremony :

The Queen is on a state visit to Moscow.

the state opening of Parliament

the state apartments (= used for official ceremonies)

PART OF COUNTRY

3.

connected with a particular state of a country, especially in the US :

a state prison / hospital / university, etc.

state police / troopers

a state tax

■ verb

1.

to formally write or say sth, especially in a careful and clear way :

[ vn ]

He has already stated his intention to run for election.

The facts are clearly stated in the report.

There is no need to state the obvious (= to say sth that everyone already knows) .

[ v wh- ]

State clearly how many tickets you require.

[ v that ]

He stated categorically that he knew nothing about the deal.

[ vn that ]

It was stated that standards at the hospital were dropping.

[ vn to inf ]

The contract was stated to be invalid.

HELP NOTE : This pattern is usually used in the passive.

➡ note at declare

2.

[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to fix or announce the details of sth, especially on a written document :

This is not one of their stated aims.

You must arrive at the time stated.

Do not exceed the stated dose (= of medicine) .

••

WORD ORIGIN

Middle English (as a noun): partly a shortening of estate , partly from Latin status manner of standing, condition, from stare to stand. The current verb senses date from the mid 17th cent.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.