US
Abbreviation with 7 meanings
| Stands for | United States |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 7 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Medical, Transportation & Travel, Law & Legal, Science & Engineering, Arts & Entertainment |
| Also written | U.S. |
US has seven meanings. The most common are United States (country code) and Ultrasound (medical imaging); it can also stand for United States Numbered Highway, United States Reports, Therapeutic ultrasound, Unconditioned stimulus and Upstage.
Meanings of US at a glance
| # | US stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | Geography & Places › Country Code |
| 2 | Ultrasound | Medical › Medical Imaging |
| 3 | United States Numbered Highway | Transportation & Travel › Driving |
| 4 | United States Reports | Law & Legal › Legal Citation |
| 5 | Therapeutic ultrasound | Medical › Rehabilitation |
| 6 | Unconditioned stimulus | Science & Engineering › Psychology |
| 7 | Upstage | Arts & Entertainment › Film, Television and Theater |
1. United States
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
The United States, capital Washington, D.C., uses US as its ISO code and in everyday writing, as in US dollars (USD) and the .us domain. The country has 50 states, a federal district and several territories with their own codes.
Example: Free shipping applies only to US addresses, including APO and FPO.
AP style writes U.S. with periods; Chicago style and most British publications write US. Most American websites use .com rather than .us. Puerto Rico, Guam and other territories have separate ISO codes (PR, GU, VI, AS, MP, UM), so a US-only filter can miss them.
2. Ultrasound
Medical · Medical Imaging Abbreviations
Imaging with high-frequency sound waves (typically about 2 to 18 MHz) that reflect off tissues to create real-time pictures without ionizing radiation. It is first-line for pregnancy, gallbladder and kidney problems, thyroid nodules, deep vein thrombosis, testicular and pelvic pain, and for guiding needles and catheters.
Example: US RUQ: gallstones with wall thickening and a positive sonographic Murphy sign.
In radiology orders US means ultrasound; elsewhere it usually means the United States, so some writers prefer "USG" or "sono" for clarity. Doppler ultrasound measures blood flow, and duplex scans combine grayscale images with Doppler. Sound cannot pass well through bone or gas, limiting views of lungs and bowel, and image quality depends heavily on the operator and body habitus.
3. United States Numbered Highway
Transportation & Travel · Driving Abbreviations · also used in geography
Designation for routes in the US Numbered Highway System, created in 1926, written as US followed by a number, such as US 1 along the East Coast or US 101 on the West Coast. Routes are marked with a white shield bearing black numbers.
Example: Take US 1 south from Miami if you want the scenic drive to Key West.
Odd-numbered US routes generally run north-south and even ones east-west, with the lowest numbers in the east and north. Route 66, created in 1926 and decommissioned in 1985, is the most famous. The newer Interstate system, begun in 1956, took over most long-distance traffic.
4. United States Reports (U.S.)
Law & Legal · Legal Citation Abbreviations
Official reporter of Supreme Court of the United States decisions, printed by the Government Publishing Office from opinions prepared by the Court's Reporter of Decisions. A citation such as 347 U.S. 483 (1954) means volume 347, page 483, where Brown v. Board of Education begins.
Example: See Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 (1966), for the warnings required before custodial interrogation.
The Bluebook requires citing U.S. whenever a case appears there, falling back to S. Ct. and then L. Ed. Because bound volumes lag years behind, recent cases are cited with blanks, as in "___ U.S. ___". The first 90 volumes were issued under individual reporters' names and are cited with both forms, as in 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 for Marbury v. Madison.
5. Therapeutic ultrasound
Medical · Rehabilitation Abbreviations
Physical therapy modality that delivers high-frequency sound waves through a gel-coupled probe to heat deep tissues or produce nonthermal effects, used for some tendon and soft tissue problems.
Example: US 1 MHz, 1.5 W/cm2, 8 min to R lateral epicondyle.
Frequencies of about 1 MHz reach deeper tissues and 3 MHz more superficial ones. Research support for most uses is limited, and its use has declined. It differs from diagnostic ultrasound imaging, which uses much lower intensities.
6. Unconditioned stimulus
Science & Engineering · Psychology Abbreviations
In classical conditioning, a stimulus that naturally and automatically triggers a response without any learning, such as food causing salivation or a loud noise causing a startle. Pairing a neutral stimulus with the US creates a conditioned response.
Example: In the Little Albert study, a loud clanging noise served as the US paired with a white rat.
John Watson and Rosalie Rayner's ethically controversial 1920 Little Albert experiment conditioned fear of a rat in an infant by pairing it with a frightening noise. Some texts write UCS to avoid confusion with other meanings of US, most commonly the United States.
7. Upstage
Arts & Entertainment · Film, Television and Theater Abbreviations
Part of the stage farthest from the audience. As a verb, "to upstage" means to draw attention away from another performer, originally by moving upstage so the other actor must turn away from the audience.
Example: Blocking: Tom enters US center through the double doors.
On a raked stage, the back was physically higher, hence "up" stage. The figurative meaning of upstaging someone is now common in everyday English. In geography US means the United States.
Related abbreviations
More country code abbreviations
- TZ – Tanzania
- UA – Ukraine
- UG – Uganda
- URU – Uruguay
- UY – Uruguay
- UZ – Uzbekistan
- VA – Vatican City
- VC – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
See all 270 country code abbreviations →
More medical imaging abbreviations
- STIR – Short tau inversion recovery
- SUV – Standardized uptake value
- Tc-99m – Technetium-99m
- TVUS – Transvaginal ultrasound
- USG – Ultrasonography
- V/Q scan – Ventilation-perfusion scan
- VCUG – Voiding cystourethrogram
- XR – X-ray (radiograph)
See all 58 medical imaging abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical or legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.