mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

mainlander

ˈmān-ˌlan-dər 

-lən-

noun

Synonyms of mainland

• continent

Examples of mainland in a Sentence

the boat back to the mainland leaves once every two days

Recent Examples on the Web

The delay followed reports from His Majesty’s Coastguard that several shipping containers fell overboard from the Baltic Klipper cargo ship near the Nab Tower in the Solent — a major shipping lane for vessels passing between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 8 Dec. 2025

After Google's Nano Banana Pro launch HSBC said optical module stocks' consensus earnings estimates in mainland China were revised up. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 7 Dec. 2025

During the campaign, her Beijing-friendly statements shocked even stalwarts in her own party, which advocates for accommodation with the mainland. —Andy Browne, semafor.com, 7 Dec. 2025

The company cited a slower-than-expected recovery in Hong Kong’s hotel market and mixed performance in mainland China. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mainland

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

mainlander noun

Geographical Definition

Mainland

geographical name

Main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

1

honshu

2

island in northern Scotland; largest of the Orkney Islands

3

island in northern Scotland; largest of the Shetland Islands