Meaning & use
border state
A state located along a national or regional boundary, especially one historically positioned between opposing sides.
See it in a sentence
During the Civil War, Kentucky was a border state that never officially left the Union.
Trade between the two nations often flows fastest through their shared border states.
A note on using this word
In U.S. history, "border states" specifically refers to slaveholding states that stayed loyal to the Union during the Civil War.
Words with a similar meaning
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