land

/lænd/

/lænd/

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

1. noun

   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:

   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
2. noun

   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”

   synonyms: ground, soil

   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
3. noun

   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
4. noun

   extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
   synonyms: acres, demesne, estate, landed estate

   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, latifundium

   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
5. noun

   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
6. verb

   cause to come to the ground
   “the pilot managed to land the airplane safely”

   synonyms: bring down, put down

   type of:

   arrive, come, get

   reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
7. verb

   shoot at and force to come down
   “the enemy landed several of our aircraft”

   synonyms: down, shoot down
8. verb

   reach or come to rest
   “The bird landed on the highest branch”

   “The plane landed in Istanbul”

   synonyms: set down

   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

   type of:

   arrive, come, get

   reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
9. verb

   arrive on shore
   “The ship landed in Pearl Harbor”

   synonyms: set ashore, shore

   type of:

   arrive, come, get

   reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
10. verb

    bring ashore
    types:

    ground, run aground, strand

    bring to the ground

    strand

    drive (a vessel) ashore

    type of:

    bring, convey, take

    take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
11. noun

    a domain in which something is dominant
    “a land of make-believe”

    synonyms: kingdom, realm

    types:

    lotus land, lotusland

    an idyllic realm of contentment and self-indulgence

    type of:

    area, arena, domain, field, orbit, sphere

    a particular environment or walk of life
12. noun

    the territory occupied by a nation
    “he returned to the land of his birth”

    synonyms: country, state

    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:

    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
13. noun

    territory over which rule or control is exercised
    “he made it the law of the land”

    synonyms: demesne, domain

    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
14. noun

    the people who live in a nation or country
    synonyms: country, nation

    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
15. noun

    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:

    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
16. verb

    bring into a different state
    “this may land you in jail”

    synonyms: bring

    type of:

    alter, change, modify

    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
17. verb

    deliver (a blow)
    “He landed several blows on his opponent's head”

    type of:

    deliver, drive home

    carry out or perform