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

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

Storms that form in the Atlantic or the Pacific generally move west, away from mainland North America. —William B. Davis, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025

Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong were closed for a holiday. —Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025

The resort’s remoteness meant that mainland safaris to baobab forests and lemur sanctuaries required a (pricy) helicopter hop, but there was enough to keep us busy on Nosy Ankao and its neighboring islets. —Chris Schalkx, Vogue, 30 Sep. 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