region

Primary Meanings of region

1.	n	the extended spatial location of something
2.	n	the approximate amount of something (usually used prepositionally as in `in the region of')
3.	n	a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve

Full Definitions of region

n the extended spatial location of something

“the farming regions of France”

“regions of outer space”

Synonyms:: part

Examples:: show 56 examples...; hide 56 examples...; D region
the lowest region of the ionosphere (35 to 50 miles up) that reflects low-frequency radio waves; Appleton layer
the highest region of the ionosphere (from 90 to 600 miles up) which contains the highest concentration of free electrons and is most useful for long-range radio transmission; Kennelly-Heaviside layer
a region of the ionosphere (from 50 to 90 miles up) that reflects radio waves of medium length; Achaea
a region of ancient Greece on the north coast of the Peloponnese; Doris
a small region of ancient Greece where the Doric dialect was spoken; Cynoscephalae
the fields in Thessaly where in 197 BC the Romans defeated the Macedonians; Transylvania
a historical plateau region in northwestern Romania that is separated from the rest of the country by the Transylvanian Alps; originally part of Hungary; incorporated into Romania at the end of World War I; Witwatersrand
a rocky region in the southern Transvaal in northeastern South Africa; contains rich gold deposits and coal and manganese; Bible Belt
southern and midwestern United States where Protestant fundamentalism is dominant; Green Line
the border marking the boundaries of the land that Israel won in its 1948 war of independence; Line of Control
a 450-mile line that is supposed to indicate the boundary between the part of Kashmir controlled by India and the part controlled by Pakistan; Corn Belt
the midwestern states where corn is grown; Iowa and Illinois are excellent for raising corn and corn-fed livestock; Rubicon
the boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul; Caesar's crossing it with his army in 49 BC was an act of war; Van Allen belt
a belt of charged particles (resulting from cosmic rays) above the Earth trapped by the Earth's magnetic field; Aries the Ram
the first sign of the zodiac which the sun enters at the vernal equinox; the sun is in this sign from about March 21 to April 19; Taurus the Bull
the second sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about April 20 to May 20; Gemini the Twins
the third sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about May 21 to June 20; Cancer the Crab
the fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22; Leo the Lion
the fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22; Virgo the Virgin
the sixth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about August 23 to September 22; Libra the Balance
the seventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about September 23 to October 22; Scorpio the Scorpion
the eighth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about October 23 to November 21; Sagittarius the Archer
the ninth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about November 22 to December 21; Capricorn the Goat
the tenth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about December 22 to January 19; Aquarius the Water Bearer
the eleventh sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about January 20 to February 18; Pisces the Fishes
the twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20; Triple Frontier
the border area where Argentina and Brazil and Paraguay meet; an active South American center for contraband and drug trafficking and money laundering; a suspected locale for Islamic extremist groups; Panama Canal Zone
a zone consisting of a strip of land across the Isthmus of Panama that contains the Panama Canal; Home Counties
the English counties surrounding London into which Greater London has expanded; Avon
a county in southwestern England; Berkshire
a county in southern England; Cornwall
a hilly county in southwestern England; Cumbria
a county of northwestern England; Devonshire
a county in southwestern England; Essex
a county in southeastern England on the North Sea and the Thames estuary; Gloucestershire
a county in southwestern England in the lower Severn valley; Hampshire
a county of southern England on the English Channel; Hertfordshire
a county in southern England; Kent
a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans; Somerset
a county in southwestern England on the Bristol Channel; East Sussex
a county in southern England on the English Channel; West Sussex
a county in southern England on the English Channel; Leicestershire
a largely agricultural county in central England; Lincolnshire
an agricultural county of eastern England on the North Sea; Northumberland
the northernmost county of England; has many Roman remains (including Hadrian's Wall); Surrey
a county in southeastern England on the Thames; North Yorkshire
a county in northern England; West Yorkshire
a metropolitan county in northern England; South Yorkshire
a metropolitan county in northern England; Northamptonshire
a county is central England; Sussex
a county in southern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom that was captured by Wessex in the 9th century; Mohorovicic discontinuity
the boundary between the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle; Mason and Dixon's line
the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania; symbolic dividing line between North and South before the American Civil War; A horizon
the top layer of a soil profile; usually contains humus; B horizon
immediately below the A-horizon; contains deposits of organic matter leached from surface soils; C horizon
beneath the B-horizon and above the bedrock; consisting of weathered rock

Types:: show 92 types...; hide 92 types...; air, atmosphere
the mass of air surrounding the Earth; biosphere
the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist; depth
(usually plural) the deepest and most remote part; interplanetary space
the part of outer space within the solar system; interstellar space
the space between stars; heliosphere
the region inside the heliopause containing the sun and solar system; intergalactic space
the space between galaxies; deep space
any region in space outside the solar system; aerospace
the atmosphere and outer space considered as a whole; zone
an area or region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic; belt
an elongated region where a specific condition or characteristic is found; bottom
the lowest part of anything; county
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government; distance
a distant region; Eden, Shangri-la, heaven, nirvana, paradise, promised land
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace; extremity
the outermost or farthest region or point; hell, hell on earth, hellhole, inferno, snake pit, the pits
any place of pain and turmoil; inside, interior
the region that is inside of something; ionosphere
the outer region of the Earth's atmosphere; contains a high concentration of free electrons; layer
a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under another; exterior, outside
the region that is outside of something; radius
a circular region whose area is indicated by the length of its radius; side
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location; air
the region above the ground; vacuity, vacuum
a region that is devoid of matter; top
the upper part of anything; zodiac
a belt-shaped region in the heavens on either side to the ecliptic; divided into 12 constellations or signs for astrological purposes; house, mansion, planetary house, sign, sign of the zodiac, star sign
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided; Papua
the southeastern part of Papua New Guinea; Sind
a region of southeastern Pakistan; black hole
a region of space resulting from the collapse of a star; extremely high gravitational field; Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, Kuiper belt
a disk-shaped region of minor planets outside the orbit of Neptune; mare, maria
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon; cap, capital, chapiter
the upper part of a column that supports the entablature; masthead
the head or top of a mast; crown
the part of a tooth above the gum that is covered with enamel; asteroid belt
the region of interplanetary space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are found; back of beyond
a very remote and inaccessible place; airspace
the atmosphere above a nation that is deemed to be under its jurisdiction; foot
the lower part of anything; base
(anatomy) the part of an organ nearest its point of attachment; rock bottom
the absolute bottom; bound, boundary, bounds
the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something; end, terminal
either extremity of something that has length; extreme, extreme point, extremum
the point located farthest from the middle of something; greenbelt, greenway
a belt of parks or rural land surrounding a town or city; midland
the interior part of a country; midst, thick
the location of something surrounded by other things; penetralia
the innermost parts; limit
as far as something can go; open, open air, out-of-doors, outdoors
where the air is unconfined; bedside
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person); blind side
the side on which your vision is limited or obstructed; dockside
the region adjacent to a boat dock; east side
the side that is on the east; hand
a position given by its location to the side of an object; north side
the side that is on the north; shipside
the part of a wharf that is next to a ship; south side
the side that is on the south; west side
the side that is on the west; stratum
one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock); head
the top of something; buffer, buffer zone
a neutral zone between two rival powers that is created in order to diminish the danger of conflict; combat area, combat zone
a military area where combat forces operate; danger zone
a dangerous area; DMZ, demilitarized zone
a zone from which military forces or operations or installations are prohibited; drop zone, dropping zone
an agreed area where military supplies are dropped to ground troops; kill zone, killing zone
an area where a battle has occurred with many fatalities; strike zone
(baseball) the area over home plate between a batter's knees and shoulders through which a pitch must pass in order to be called a strike; tidal zone
an area subject to tidal action; asthenosphere
the lower layer of the crust; chromosphere
a gaseous layer of the sun's atmosphere (extending from the photosphere to the corona) that is visible during a total eclipse of the sun; Earth's crust, crust
the outer layer of the Earth; exosphere
the outermost atmospheric layer; hydrosphere
the watery layer of the earth's surface; includes water vapor; interplanetary medium
interplanetary space including forms of energy and gas and dust; interstellar medium
interstellar space including streams of protons moving from the stars; geosphere, lithosphere
the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle; lower mantle
the deeper part of the mantle; mantle
the layer of the earth between the crust and the core; mesosphere
the atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere; ozone layer, ozonosphere
a layer in the stratosphere (at approximately 20 miles) that contains a concentration of ozone sufficient to block most ultraviolet radiation from the sun; stratosphere
the atmospheric layer between the troposphere and the mesosphere; Earth's surface, surface
the outermost level of the land or sea; thermosphere
the atmospheric layer between the mesosphere and the exosphere; tropopause
the region of discontinuity between the troposphere and the stratosphere; troposphere
the lowest atmospheric layer; from 4 to 11 miles high (depending on latitude); upper mantle
the upper part of the mantle; Isle of Wight, Wight
an isle and county of southern England in the English Channel; cell wall
a rigid layer of polysaccharides enclosing the membrane of plant and prokaryotic cells; maintains the shape of the cell and serves as a protective barrier; crown, treetop
the upper branches and leaves of a tree or other plant; snow
a layer of snowflakes (white crystals of frozen water) covering the ground

Type of:: location
a point or extent in space

n a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth

“penguins inhabit the polar regions”

Types:: show 108 types...; hide 108 types...; area, country
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography); backwater
a place or condition in which no development or progress is occurring; breadbasket
a geographic region serving as the principal source of grain; theater of war, theatre of war
the entire land, sea, and air area that may become or is directly involved in war operations; field, field of operations, theater, theater of operations, theatre, theatre of operations
a region in which active military operations are in progress; zone of interior
the part of the theater of war not included in the theater of operations; district, dominion, territorial dominion, territory
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes; demesne, domain, land
territory over which rule or control is exercised; northland
any region lying in or toward the north; southland
any region lying in or toward the south; field
somewhere (away from a studio or office or library or laboratory) where practical work is done or data is collected; geographic area, geographic region, geographical area, geographical region
a demarcated area of the Earth; biogeographical region
an area of the Earth determined by distribution of flora and fauna; heartland
the central region of a country or continent; especially a region that is important to a country or to a culture; irredenta, irridenta
a region that is related ethnically or historically to one country but is controlled politically by another; antipodes
any two places or regions on diametrically opposite sides of the Earth; terra incognita, unknown, unknown region
an unknown and unexplored region; laboratory, testing ground
a region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation; administrative district, administrative division, territorial division
a district defined for administrative purposes; soil, territory
the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state; arena
the central area of an ancient Roman amphitheater where contests and spectacles were held; especially an area that was strewn with sand; high country
an area lying above the piedmont but below the timberline; bed ground, bed-ground, bedground
an area on which a drove of cattle or sheep can sleep for a night; colony, dependency
a geographical area politically controlled by a distant country; semidesert
a region much like a desert but usually located between a desert and the surrounding regions; border district, borderland, march, marchland
district consisting of the area on either side of a border or boundary of a country or an area; narco-state
an area that has been taken over and is controlled and corrupted by drug cartels and where law enforcement is effectively nonexistent; place, property
any area set aside for a particular purpose; broadcast area
the area over which a radio or tv transmission can be received; basin, catchment area, catchment basin, drainage area, drainage basin, river basin, watershed
the entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries; an area characterized by all runoff being conveyed to the same outlet; center, centre, eye, heart, middle
an area that is approximately central within some larger region; city district
a district of a town or city; environs, purlieu
an outer adjacent area of any place; geographical zone, zone
any of the regions of the surface of the Earth loosely divided according to latitude or longitude; congressional district
a territorial division of a state; entitled to elect one member to the United States House of Representatives; corner
a place off to the side of an area; corner
a remote area; development
a district that has been developed to serve some purpose; disaster area
a region whose population is affected by a general disaster; enclave
an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it; palatinate
a territory under the jurisdiction of a count palatine; community, residential area, residential district
a district where people live; occupied primarily by private residences; 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; environment, environs, surround, surroundings
the area in which something exists or lives; dust bowl
a region subject to dust storms; especially the central region of United States subject to dust storms in the 1930s; benthic division, benthonic zone, benthos
a region including the bottom of the sea and the littoral zones; goldfield
a district where gold is mined; hangout, haunt, repair, resort, stamping ground
a frequently visited place; fireside, hearth
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room); hunting ground
an area in which game is hunted; hemisphere
half of the terrestrial globe; hot spot, hotspot
a place of political unrest and potential violence; jurisdiction
in law; the territory within which power can be exercised; mandate, mandatory
a territory surrendered by Turkey or Germany after World War I and put under the tutelage of some other European power until they are able to stand by themselves; no-go area
an area that is dangerous or impossible to enter or to which entry is forbidden; no man's land
an unoccupied area between the front lines of opposing armies; panhandle
a relatively narrow strip of land projecting from some larger area; associated state, protectorate
a state or territory partly controlled by (but not a possession of) a stronger state but autonomous in internal affairs; protectorates are established by treaty; quadrant
the area enclosed by two perpendicular radii of a circle; quadrant
any of the four areas into which a plane is divided by two orthogonal coordinate axes; rain shadow
an area that has little precipitation because some barrier causes the winds to lose their moisture before reaching it; possession
a territory that is controlled by a ruling state; staging area
an area where troops and equipment in transit are assembled before a military operation; clear, open
a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water; free port, free zone
an area adjoining a port where goods that are intended for reshipment can be received and stored without payment of duties; anchorage, anchorage ground
place for vessels to anchor; playground, resort area, vacation spot
an area where many people go for recreation; block, city block
a rectangular area in a city surrounded by streets and usually containing several buildings; neighborhood
an area within a city or town that has some distinctive features (especially one forming a community); retreat
a place of privacy; a place affording peace and quiet; refuge, safety
a safe place; danger
a dangerous place; country, rural area
an area outside of cities and towns; scene
the place where some action occurs; section
a distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people; shrubbery
an area where a number of shrubs are planted; space
an area reserved for some particular purpose; sphere, sphere of influence
the geographical area in which one nation is very influential; field
a geographic region (land or sea) under which something valuable is found; tank farm
an area used exclusively for storing petroleum in large tanks; settlement
an area where a group of families live together; parcel, parcel of land, piece of ground, piece of land, tract
an extended area of land; trust territory, trusteeship
a dependent country; administered by another country under the supervision of the United Nations; populated area, urban area
a geographical area constituting a city or town; wild, wilderness
a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition; winner's circle
a small area at a racecourse where awards are given to the owners of winning horses; killing field
(usually plural) an area where many people have died (usually by massacre or genocide during war or violent civil disturbance); northern Europe
the northernmost countries of Europe; British East Africa
the former British territories of eastern Africa, including Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, and Zanzibar; British West Africa
the former British territories of western Africa, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Gambia, Togo, Sierra Leone, and the Gold Coast; French region
a geographical subdivision of France; Baltic Republic, Baltic State
European countries bordering the Baltic Sea; Colony
one of the 13 British colonies that formed the original states of the United States; Dar al-Islam, House of Islam
areas where Muslims are in the majority; Dar al-harb, House of War
areas where Muslims are in the minority and are persecuted

Type of:: location
a point or extent in space

n a knowledge domain that you are interested in or are communicating about

“here we enter the region of opinion”

Synonyms:: realm

Type of:: domain, knowledge base, knowledge domain
the content of a particular field of knowledge

n the approximate amount of something (usually used prepositionally as in `in the region of')

“it was going to take in the region of two or three months to finish the job”

Synonyms:: neighborhood

Type of:: indefinite quantity
an estimated quantity

n a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve

“in the abdominal region”

Synonyms:: area

Types:: show 32 types...; hide 32 types...; erogenous zone
any area of the body especially sensitive to sexual stimulation; pressure point
an area on the skin that is highly sensitive to pressure; hypochondrium
the upper region of the abdomen just below the lowest ribs on either side of the epigastrium; area of cardiac dullness
a triangular area of the front of the chest (determined by percussion); corresponds to the part of the heart not covered by the lungs; epigastrium
the region lying on or over the stomach (just below the sternum); fovea, fovea centralis
area consisting of a small depression in the retina containing cones and where vision is most acute; parafovea
area of the retina immediately surrounding the fovea; macula, macula lutea, macular area, yellow spot
a small yellowish central area of the retina that is rich in cones and that mediates clear detailed vision; cortical area, cortical region
any of various regions of the cerebral cortex; perineum
the general region between the anus and the genital organs; side
either the left or right half of a body; cleavage
the line formed by a groove between two parts (especially the separation between a woman's breasts); areola, ring of color
small circular area such as that around the human nipple or an inflamed area around a pimple or insect bite; middle, midriff, midsection
the middle area of the human torso (usually in front); waist, waistline
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips; loins, pubes, pubic region
the lower part of the abdomen just above the external genital organs; palm, thenar
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers; thenar
the fleshy area of the palm at the base of the thumb; sole
the underside of the foot; half-moon, lunula, lunule
the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail; groin, inguen
the crease at the junction of the inner part of the thigh with the trunk together with the adjacent region and often including the external genitals; quick
any area of the body that is highly sensitive to pain (as the flesh underneath the skin or a fingernail or toenail); association area, association cortex
cortical areas that are neither motor or sensory but are thought to be involved in higher processing of information; auditory area, auditory cortex
the cortical area that receives auditory information from the medial geniculate body; Brodmann's area
one of the cortical areas mapped out on the basis of its cytoarchitecture; language area, language zone
a large cortical area (in the left hemisphere in most people) containing all the centers associated with language; Rolando's area, excitable area, motor area, motor cortex, motor region
the cortical area that influences motor movements; sensorium
the areas of the brain that process and register incoming sensory information and make possible the conscious awareness of the world; sensorimotor area, sensorimotor region
an area of the cortex including the precentral gyrus and the postcentral gyrus and combining sensory and motor functions; visual area, visual cortex
the cortical area that receives information from the lateral geniculate body of the thalamus; Brodmann's area 17, area 17 of Brodmann, first visual area, striate area, striate cortex
the part of the occipital cortex that receives the fibers of the optic radiation from the lateral geniculate body and is the primary receptive area for vision; wasp waist
a very slender waist