statehood

noun

state·​hood ˈstāt-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce statehood (audio)
: the condition of being a state
especially : the status of being one of the states of the U.S.

Examples of statehood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When Israel declared its statehood in 1948, Truman was the first world leader to grant de facto recognition. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 16 June 2026 Trump has long hoped Saudi Arabia would join, but the kingdom has maintained that any normalization deal requires first establishing a clear path for Palestinian statehood. — Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026 Democrats’ traditional Jewish alliance, Palestinian statehood and Catholic teaching, in readers' eyes. — Letters To The Editor, Washington Post, 7 June 2026 The federal government granted these public lands, which currently cover millions of acres, mostly in northern Minnesota, upon statehood. — CBS News, 27 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for statehood

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of statehood was in 1805

Rhymes for statehood

See All Rhymes for statehood

Browse Nearby Words

state holiday
statehood
statehouse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Statehood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/statehood. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

statehood

noun
state·​hood ˈstāt-ˌhu̇d How to pronounce statehood (audio)
: the condition of being a state
especially : the condition or status of one of the states of the U.S.
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All