nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

a(1)

: nationality sense 5a

three Slav peoples … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation

—Hans Kohn

(2)

: a politically organized nationality

(3)

in the Bible : a non-Jewish nationality

why do the nations conspire

—Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)

b

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government

Canada is a nation with a written constitution

—B. K. Sandwell

c

: a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status

a nation of vast size with a small population

—Mary K. Hammond

2

archaic : group, aggregation

3

: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of American Indians)

the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma

Synonyms

• commonwealth
• country
• land
• sovereignty
• sovranty
• state

Examples of nation in a Sentence

It's one of the richest nations in the world.

the largest state in the nation

The President will speak to the nation tonight.

The entire nation is celebrating the victory.

Recent Examples on the Web

Biden has continued to provide military aid to Israel despite concerns from pro-Palestinian groups and some other nations that its actions in Gaza do not comply with U.S. and international humanitarian law. —Nik Popli, TIME, 2 May 2024

In a nation with few truly moderate, swing congressional districts, several of the remaining competitive races are in the Empire State. —Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 2 May 2024

The framework for the feature is how colonialism still manages to impact indigenous people many years after their nations were granted independence. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 2 May 2024

Switzerland is set to take center stage at the 2024 Cannes Film Market, with the Alpine nation picked as this year’s country of honor at the Marché du Film, which runs May 14-22 alongside the Cannes Film Festival. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024

The Prairie Band Potawatomi had been fighting to reclaim the 1,280-acre reservation since it was illegally auctioned off 175 years ago in violation of a treaty between the tribal nation and the U.S. government. —Frank Vaisvilas, Journal Sentinel, 1 May 2024

General Elections: India is holding its multiphase general elections from April 19 to June 1, in a vote that will determine the political direction of the world’s most populous nation for the next five years. —Mujib Mashal Atul Loke, New York Times, 1 May 2024

Duflo presented the proposal this week at the most recent Group of 20 nations meeting held in Washington, D.C. —Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 20 Apr. 2024

Steep increases in wealth and dividend taxes by Norway’s left-leaning government have prompted dozens of the Nordic nation’s rich to move to another prosperous, mountainous country to the south. —Ott Ummelas, Fortune Europe, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nacioun, from Anglo-French naciun, from Latin nation-, natio birth, race, nation, from nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget — more at kin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing nation

• nation-state
• the nation

Kids Definition

nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

: nationality sense 3

2

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government

3

: the territory of a nation

Biographical Definition

Nation

biographical name

Na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

Car*ry ˈker-ē 

ˈka-rē

Amelia 1846–1911 née Moore American temperance agitator