What does vegas mean?
Vegas is an informal, shortened name for Las Vegas, Nevada, especially in the United States. It appears in ordinary conversation, news reports, and references to the city’s entertainment, tourism, and convention scenes. The form is normally capitalized as a proper name, even when the full name “Las Vegas” is not written. Speakers may say “going to Vegas” to mean taking a leisure or entertainment trip there, while phrases such as “Vegas wedding” and “Vegas Strip” refer to well-known aspects of the city. Vegas is not a separate municipality and should not be confused with Vega, a star in the constellation Lyra. The shortened name grew out of the longer place-name Las Vegas, whose Spanish elements mean “the meadows.”
nounAn informal name for Las Vegas, Nevada. The standard spelling in ordinary use is capitalized.
- An informal name for Las Vegas, Nevada.
"We drove to Vegas for the weekend."
"Her parents went to Vegas for their anniversary."
"The comedy show was a fixture of Vegas nightlife."
Normally used as an unchanged proper name rather than a countable plural.
"The city is known as the entertainment capital of the world, and Vegas has cemented that reputation."
Vegas takes its name from the Spanish word for “meadow,” because Las Vegas grew up around an oasis in the desert.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vegas
“Vegas” is a shortened form of Las Vegas. The place-name combines the Spanish “las,” meaning “the,” with “vega,” meaning “meadow” or “fertile plain,” and arose in reference to the meadows around an oasis in the Las Vegas Valley. The English shortening was established by the early 20th century and became especially prominent in entertainment and tourism.
How vegas is actually used
Normally capitalized because it is a shortened proper name. It is informal, though it is used in journalism, tourism, and entertainment contexts as well as casual speech.
Easily confused with vegas
Vega is a star in the constellation Lyra, whereas Vegas is an informal name for Las Vegas.