Meanings
proper noun
- The metropolitan area of Chicago, including parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
Origin
From Chicago + -land. Generally thought to have been popularized by Robert R. McCormick, editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune, first using it on page 1 of the July 27, 1926 issue, although it may have been coined much earlier.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
Chicagoland. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chicagoland
MLA
“Chicagoland.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chicagoland. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chicagoland,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chicagoland.
Source: Chicagoland on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.