peninsula

noun

pen·​in·​su·​la pə-ˈnin(t)-s(ə-)lə  -shə-lə 

: a portion of land nearly surrounded by water and connected with a larger body by an isthmus

also : a piece of land jutting out into the water whether with or without a well-defined isthmus

the Italian peninsula

peninsular

pə-ˈnin(t)-s(ə-)lər 

-shə-lər

adjective

Synonyms of peninsula

• cape
• point
• headland

Examples of peninsula in a Sentence

They built their house on a narrow peninsula.

the peninsula is constantly buffeted by storms

Recent Examples on the Web

Since then, getting to the movies has generally meant traveling for more than an hour each way for the 125,000 full-time residents of the peninsula. — Sam Fleischner, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026

Waves battered a century-old wooden boardwalk on the Long Beach peninsula and forced homeowners to evacuate. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026

Eventually, the car exited the highway and pulled off into the nocturnal quiet of a random peninsula neighborhood. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

In Long Beach, which has been hit hard this season by a series of back-to-back distant hurricanes, powerful waves crumbled large sections of the boardwalk on the peninsula and left several homes with severe structural damage. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin paeninsula, from paene almost + insula island

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for peninsula

• insole
• insula

Kids Definition

peninsula

noun

pen·​in·​su·​la pə-ˈnin(t)-s(ə-)lə  -ˈnin-chə-lə 

: a piece of land nearly surrounded by water or sticking out into the water

peninsular

-s(ə-)lər 

-chə-lər

adjective

Etymology

from Latin paeninsula "peninsula," from paene- "almost" and insula "island" — related to insulate, isle, isolate