nation
Other forms: nations
A nation is a country and its people. It's also the word used for the Native American tribal federations in the US — the Cherokee Nation, for instance — which have their own governments and territories.
Nation comes from the Latin root nat-, which means "born" — the neonatal unit in a hospital is where the newborn babies are cared for. You can also use nation more loosely for ethnic or religious groups: you might speak of "the Jewish nation," meaning not just the country, or nation, of Israel, but Jews all over the world. The Nation of Islam is an African-American Muslim group.
Definitions of nation
-
a politically organized body of people under a single government“African nations”“students who had come to the nation's capitol”
-
synonyms:
body politic, commonwealth, country, land, 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
-
a federation of tribes (especially Native American tribes)“the Shawnee nation”
-
types:
-
federation of tribes, tribe
a federation (as of American Indians)
-
type of:
-
confederacy, confederation, federation
a union of political organizations
-
federation of tribes, tribe
-
the people who live in a nation or country“a statement that sums up the nation's mood”“the news was announced to the nation”
-
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
Pronunciation
US
/ˈneɪʃən/
UK
/ˈneɪʃən/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘nation'.
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 nation for the last time
Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.
