USA

1. 1
   proper nouninitialism

   Initialism of the United States of America.

   The USA shares long land borders with Canada and Mexico.

   Imports to the USA rose sharply after the trade agreement took effect.

   Note

   Spoken letter by letter, U-S-A, it keeps the definite article of the full name in running prose: the USA, just as the United States of America. The article drops away when the letters work as a label, as in Team USA on a jersey, in a chant, or on an address line. The shorter US competes with it and is usually preferred before a noun (US trade, US troops).

2. 2
   proper nounUSinitialism

   Initialism of United States Army.

   Colonel Reyes, USA, signed the transfer orders yesterday morning.

   The panel paired a Navy admiral with Lieutenant General Dana Brooks, USA, who had commanded the Army's ground forces in the exercise.

   Note

   A branch label more than a name in prose: the letters follow a service member's rank and name, set off by commas, as in GEN Martin Dempsey, USA. They say which branch the officer serves in, not where the officer comes from. In running text the Army is normally spelled out, because a sentence like "she joined the USA" will be read as the country.

3. 3
   nounabbreviation

   Abbreviation of United States Attorney.

   The USA for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment on Friday.

   Each federal district has one USA, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

   Note

   Here the letters name a person holding an office, not a place or an organization, so they behave like an ordinary countable noun: one USA per federal district, several USAs across the country. The abbreviation belongs to legal and court writing and is usually followed by the district it serves, as in the USA for the Southern District of New York.

4. 4
   proper nounnonstandardinitialism

   Initialism of Union of South Africa. Nonstandard, since USA normally means the United States of America.

   Note

   A rare, nonstandard shortening for the name South Africa carried from 1910 to 1961, while it was a Commonwealth dominion. Because nearly every reader hears the American country in these letters, use them only after the scene is set: name South Africa itself, or give a date before 1961, before the initials appear. In a modern setting, write the name out in full.

5. 5
   proper nouninitialism

   Initialism of United Sabah Alliance.

   The USA announced its list of candidates for the Sabah state assembly.

   Several local parties left the coalition, weakening the USA ahead of the polls.

   Note

   Malaysian political reporting uses the letters for an alliance of parties based in Sabah, with nothing American about it. In a story about Sabah's state assembly or its elections they rarely mislead. Taken out of that setting they will be read as the United States, so a first mention should spell out United Sabah Alliance.

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