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

• continent

Examples of mainland in a Sentence

the boat back to the mainland leaves once every two days

Recent Examples on the Web

Markets in mainland China and South Korea were closed for holidays. —Elaine Kurtenbach, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025

On my first visit, Shenzhen on the mainland just outside of Hong Kong was transitioning from a fishing village into a Special Economic Zone to assemble simple garments and toys for foreign companies. —Peter Leyden, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025

Here on the mainland, Super Bowl LX is set for February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA, and will be broadcast on NBC. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2025

Others show newer storefronts adorned with simplified Chinese characters, not traditional ones, as arrivals from mainland China come to significantly outnumber those from Taiwan or Hong Kong, the source of earlier waves of migration to the US. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 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