land
Other forms: landed; lands; landing
Use the noun land to talk about the solid ground under your feet. It's nice to put your feet on dry land after a long trip in a sailboat.
People who are afraid of flying are usually overjoyed to land on the land after hours in the sky — land is also a verb meaning "to settle down on the ground." You can use the word land, as well, to describe a government or ruler's territory: "He rules over the land between those mountains and the rocky coast." The words for land are the same in English, German, and Dutch, as the root is the Germanic landom.
Definitions of land
-
the solid part of the earth's surface“the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land”
-
synonyms:
dry land, earth, ground, solid ground, terra firma
-
examples:
-
America
North America and South America and Central America
-
types:
- show 37 types...
- hide 37 types...
-
archipelago
a group of many islands in a large body of water
-
beachfront
a strip of land running along a beach
-
cape, ness
a strip of land projecting into a body of water
-
coastal plain
a plain adjacent to a coast
-
floor
the ground on which people and animals move about
-
foreland
land forming the forward margin of something
-
forest, timber, timberland, woodland
land that is covered with trees and shrubs
-
island
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
-
isthmus
a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas
-
land mass, landmass
a large continuous extent of land
-
mainland
the main land mass of a country or continent; as distinguished from an island or peninsula
-
neck
a narrow elongated projecting strip of land
-
oxbow
the land inside an oxbow bend in a river
-
peninsula
a large mass of land projecting into a body of water
-
champaign, field, plain
extensive tract of level open land
-
slash
an open tract of land in a forest that is strewn with debris from logging (or fire or wind)
-
wonderland
a place or scene of great or strange beauty or wonder
-
Caribbean Island
an island in the Caribbean Sea
-
Aegean island
an island in the Aegean Sea
-
barrier island
a long narrow sandy island (wider than a reef) running parallel to the shore
-
continent
one of the large landmasses of the earth
-
flat
a level tract of land
-
flood plain, floodplain
a low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding
-
greenwood
woodlands in full leaf
-
llano
an extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain (especially in Latin America)
-
moor, moorland
open land usually with peaty soil covered with heather and bracken and moss
-
peneplain, peneplane
a more or less level land surface representing an advanced stage of erosion undisturbed by crustal movements
-
riparian forest
woodlands along the banks of stream or river
-
silva, sylva
the forest trees growing in a country or region
-
snowfield
a permanent wide expanse of snow
-
South Sea Islands
any islands in the southern or southwestern of central parts of the Pacific Ocean
-
spit, tongue
a narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea
-
steppe
extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia)
-
subcontinent
a large and distinctive landmass (as India or Greenland) that is a distinct part of some continent
-
tidewater
low-lying coastal land drained by tidal streams
-
tree farm
a forest (or part of a forest) where trees are grown for commercial use
-
tundra
a vast treeless plain in the Arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently frozen
-
type of:
-
object, physical object
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
-
America
-
material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)“the land had never been plowed”
-
types:
- show 16 types...
- hide 16 types...
-
badlands
deeply eroded barren land
-
bottom, bottomland
low-lying alluvial land near a river
-
coastland
land in a coastal area
-
cultivated land, farmland, ploughland, plowland, tillage, tilled land, tilth
arable land that is worked by plowing and sowing and raising crops
-
overburden
the surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits
-
permafrost
ground that is permanently frozen
-
polder
low-lying land that has been reclaimed and is protected by dikes (especially in the Netherlands)
-
rangeland
land suitable for grazing livestock
-
scablands
(geology) flat elevated land with poor soil and little vegetation that is scarred by dry channels of glacial origin (especially in eastern Washington)
-
greensward, sod, sward, turf
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
-
wetland
a low area where the land is saturated with water
-
bog, peat bog
wet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation; has poorer drainage than a swamp; soil is unfit for cultivation but can be cut and dried and used for fuel
-
divot
a piece of turf dug out of a lawn or fairway (by an animals hooves or a golf club)
-
fallow
cultivated land that is not seeded for one or more growing seasons
-
fen, fenland, marsh, marshland
low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water
-
swamp, swampland
low land that is seasonally flooded; has more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog
-
type of:
-
object, physical object
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
-
the land on which real estate is located“he built the house on land leased from the city”
-
types:
-
farmstead
the buildings and adjacent grounds of a farm
-
homestead
the home and adjacent grounds occupied by a family
-
no man's land
land that is unowned and uninhabited (and usually undesirable)
-
type of:
-
immovable, real estate, real property, realty
property consisting of houses and land
-
farmstead
-
extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
-
synonyms:
acres, demesne, estate, landed estate
-
types:
- show 15 types...
- hide 15 types...
-
freehold
an estate held in fee simple or for life
-
glebe
plot of land belonging to an English parish church or an ecclesiastical office
-
leasehold
land or property held under a lease
-
smallholding
a piece of land under 50 acres that is sold or let to someone for cultivation
-
homestead
land acquired from the United States public lands by filing a record and living on and cultivating it under the homestead law
-
feoff, fief
a piece of land held under the feudal system
-
barony
the estate of a baron
-
countryseat
an estate in the country
-
Crown land
land that belongs to the Crown
-
manor
the landed estate of a lord (including the house on it)
-
seigneury, seigniory, signory
the estate of a seigneur
-
hacienda
a large estate in Spanish-speaking countries
-
plantation
an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas)
-
entail
land received by fee tail
-
orangery
a place where oranges are grown; a plantation of orange trees in warm climes or a greenhouse in cooler areas
-
type of:
-
immovable, real estate, real property, realty
property consisting of houses and land
-
agriculture considered as an occupation or way of life“there's no work on the land any more”
-
synonyms:
farming
-
type of:
-
business, job, line, line of work, occupation
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
-
business, job, line, line of work, occupation
-
cause to come to the ground“the pilot managed to land the airplane safely”
-
synonyms:
bring down, put down
-
shoot at and force to come down“the enemy landed several of our aircraft”
-
synonyms:
down, shoot down
-
reach or come to rest“The bird landed on the highest branch”“The plane landed in Istanbul”
-
synonyms:
set down
-
types:
- show 10 types...
- hide 10 types...
-
alight, light, perch
come to rest; settle
-
force-land
make a forced landing
-
beach
land on a beach
-
port
land at or reach a port
-
debark, disembark, set down
go ashore
-
touch down
come or bring (a plane) to a landing
-
undershoot
fall short of (the runway) in a landing
-
belly-land
land on the underside without the landing gear
-
crash land
make an emergency landing
-
ditch
make an emergency landing on water
-
arrive on shore“The ship landed in Pearl Harbor”
-
synonyms:
set ashore, shore
-
bring ashore
-
a domain in which something is dominant
-
the territory occupied by a nation“he returned to the land of his birth”
-
examples:
- show 48 examples...
- hide 48 examples...
-
Antigua and Barbuda
a country in the northern Leeward Islands
-
Republic of Cape Verde
an island country in the Atlantic off the coast of Senegal
-
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
a republic on the island of Ceylon; became independent of the United Kingdom in 1948
-
Federal Islamic Republic of the Comoros
a country on the Comoro Islands
-
Republic of Cuba
a communist state in the Caribbean on the island of Cuba
-
Republic of Haiti
a republic in the West Indies on the western part of the island of Hispaniola; achieved independence from France in 1804; the poorest and most illiterate nation in the western hemisphere
-
Dominican Republic
a republic in the West Indies; located on the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola
-
Jamaica
a country on the island of Jamaica; became independent of England in 1962; much poverty; the major industry is tourism
-
Barbados
a parliamentary democracy on the island of Barbados; former British colony; a popular resort area
-
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
an island republic in the West Indies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1962
-
Republic of Cyprus
a country on the island of Cyprus; 80% of the people are of Greek origin and 20% or Turkish origin
-
Commonwealth of Dominica
a country on the island of Dominica
-
East Timor
a former Portuguese colony that was annexed by Indonesia in 1976; voted for independence from Indonesia in 1999 and in May 2002 became an independent nation
-
Republic of Fiji
an independent state within the British Commonwealth located on the Fiji Islands
-
State of Israel
Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine
-
Etruria
an ancient country in central Italy; assimilated by the Romans by about 200 BC
-
Commonwealth of Australia
a nation occupying the whole of the Australian continent; Aboriginal tribes are thought to have migrated from southeastern Asia 20,000 years ago; first Europeans were British convicts sent there as a penal colony
-
Federated States of Micronesia
a country scattered over Micronesia with a constitutional government in free association with the United States; achieved independence in 1986
-
Republic of the Marshall Islands
a republic (under United States protection) on the Marshall Islands
-
Tuvalu
a small island republic on the Tuvalu islands; formerly part of the British colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands until it withdrew in 1975 and became independent of the United Kingdom in 1978
-
Republic of Kiribati
an island republic in the west central Pacific just to the south of the equator
-
Republic of Nauru
an island republic on Nauru Island; phosphate exports support the economy
-
Independent State of Papua New Guinea
a parliamentary democracy on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea; in 1975 it became an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations
-
Commonwealth of the Bahamas
island country in the Atlantic to the east of Florida and Cuba; a popular winter resort
-
Burkina Faso
a desperately poor landlocked country in western Africa; was formerly Upper Volta under French rule but gained independence in 1960
-
Republic of Indonesia
a republic in southeastern Asia on an archipelago including more than 13,000 islands; achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1945; the principal oil producer in the Far East and Pacific regions
-
Grenada
an island state in the West Indies in the southeastern Caribbean Sea; an independent state within the British Commonwealth
-
Republic of Maldives
a republic on the Maldive Islands; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1965
-
Republic of Malta
a republic on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1964
-
Republic of Mauritius
a parliamentary state on the island of Mauritius
-
New Zealand
an independent country within the British Commonwealth; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1907; known for sheep and spectacular scenery
-
Republic of Palau
a republic in the western central Pacific Ocean in association with the United States
-
Republic of the Philippines
a republic on the Philippine Islands; achieved independence from the United States in 1946
-
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
a country on several of the Leeward Islands; located to the east southeast of Puerto Rico; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1983
-
Saint Lucia
a country on the island of Saint Lucia; gained independence from Great Britain in 1979
-
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
an island country in the central Windward Islands; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1979
-
Independent State of Samoa
a constitutional monarchy on the western part of the islands of Samoa in the South Pacific
-
Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
island nation in the South Atlantic off the west coast of Africa; achieved independence from Portugal in 1975; has enormous offshore oil reserves
-
Republic of Seychelles
a republic on the Seychelles islands; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1976
-
Solomon Islands
the southern Solomon Islands that since 1978 form an independent state in the British Commonwealth
-
Rus
the medieval Russian state established by Scandinavian traders in the 9th century; the capital was first in Novgorod and then in Kiev
-
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
-
Russian Federation
a federation in northeastern Europe and northern Asia; formerly Soviet Russia; since 1991 an independent state
-
Ukrayina
a republic in southeastern Europe; formerly a European soviet; the center of the original Russian state which came into existence in the ninth century
-
Turkmenistan
a republic in Asia to the east of the Caspian Sea and to the south of Kazakhstan and to the north of Iran; an Asian soviet from 1925 to 1991
-
Friendly Islands
a monarchy on a Polynesian archipelago in the South Pacific; achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1970
-
Republic of Turkey
a Eurasian republic in Asia Minor and the Balkans; on the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1918, the Young Turks, led by Kemal Ataturk, established a republic in 1923
-
Republic of Vanuatu
a volcanic island republic in Melanesia; independent since 1980
-
types:
- show 15 types...
- hide 15 types...
-
banana republic
a small country (especially in Central America) that is politically unstable and whose economy is dominated by foreign companies and depends on one export (such as bananas)
-
country of origin, fatherland, homeland, mother country, motherland, native land
the country where you were born
-
buffer country, buffer state
a small neutral state between two rival powers
-
kingdom
a country with a king as head of state
-
tax haven
a country or independent region where taxes are low
-
European country, European nation
any one of the countries occupying the European continent
-
African country, African nation
any one of the countries occupying the African continent
-
Asian country, Asian nation
any one of the nations occupying the Asian continent
-
South American country, South American nation
any one of the countries occupying the South American continent
-
North American country, North American nation
any country on the North American continent
-
sultanate
country or territory ruled by a sultan
-
old country
the country of origin of an immigrant
-
Scandinavian country, Scandinavian nation
any one of the countries occupying Scandinavia
-
Balkan country, Balkan nation, Balkan state
any one of the countries on the Balkan Peninsula
-
Central American country, Central American nation
any one of the countries occupying Central America; these countries (except for Belize and Costa Rica) are characterized by low per capita income and unstable governments
-
type of:
-
administrative district, administrative division, territorial division
a district defined for administrative purposes
-
territory over which rule or control is exercised“he made it the law of the land”
-
types:
- show 14 types...
- hide 14 types...
-
archduchy
the domain controlled by an archduke or archduchess
-
barony
the domain of a baron
-
duchy, dukedom
the domain controlled by a duke or duchess
-
earldom
the domain controlled by an earl or count or countess
-
emirate
the domain controlled by an emir
-
empire, imperium
the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
-
fiefdom
the domain controlled by a feudal lord
-
grand duchy
the domain controlled by a grand duke or grand duchess
-
viscounty
the domain controlled by a viscount or viscountess
-
khanate
the realm of a khan
-
kingdom, realm
the domain ruled by a king or queen
-
princedom, principality
territory ruled by a prince
-
sheikdom, sheikhdom
the domain ruled by a sheik
-
suzerainty
the domain of a suzerain
-
type of:
-
region
a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth
-
the people who live in a nation or country
-
types:
- show 9 types...
- hide 9 types...
-
Dutch, Dutch people
the people of the Netherlands
-
British, British people, Brits
the people of Great Britain
-
English, English people
the people of England
-
Irish, Irish people
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
-
French, French people
the people of France
-
Spanish, Spanish people
the people of Spain
-
Swiss, Swiss people
the natives or inhabitants of Switzerland
-
Frisian
a native or inhabitant of Friesland or Frisia
-
Genevan
a native or resident of Geneva
-
type of:
-
people
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
-
a politically organized body of people under a single government“an industrialized land”
-
synonyms:
body politic, commonwealth, country, nation, res publica, state
-
examples:
-
Tamil Eelam
the independent state that the Tamil Tigers have fought for
-
types:
- show 14 types...
- hide 14 types...
-
commonwealth country
any of the countries in the British Commonwealth
-
developing country
a country that is poor and whose citizens are mostly agricultural workers but that wants to become more advanced socially and economically
-
Dominion
one of the self-governing nations in the British Commonwealth
-
foreign country
any state of which one is not a citizen
-
Reich
the German state
-
renegade state, rogue nation, rogue state
a state that does not respect other states in its international actions
-
suzerain
a state exercising a degree of dominion over a dependent state especially in its foreign affairs
-
sea power
a nation that possesses formidable naval strength
-
great power, major power, power, superpower, world power
a state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world
-
city state, city-state
a state consisting of a sovereign city
-
ally
a friendly nation
-
Hohenzollern empire, Second Reich
the Reich when Hohenzollern monarchs ruled Germany (from 1871 to 1919)
-
Nazi Germany, Third Reich
the Nazi dictatorship under Hitler (1933-1945)
-
hegemon
a leading or paramount power
-
type of:
-
political entity, political unit
a unit with political responsibilities
-
Tamil Eelam
-
bring into a different state
-
deliver (a blow)“He landed several blows on his opponent's head”
-
type of:
-
deliver, drive home
carry out or perform
-
deliver, drive home
Pronunciation
US
/lænd/
UK
/lænd/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
- MLA
- APA
- Chicago
Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘land'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Look up land for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
