public land

noun

: land owned by a government
specifically : that part of the U.S. public domain subject to sale or disposal under the homestead laws

Examples of public land in a Sentence

the management of public lands The government will auction off 20 parcels of public land.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Zbur’s remarks referred to the administration’s proposals last year to add elements in a sweeping budget reconciliation package, which would have opened the door for more than 250 million acres of federal public land in Western states to be sold off or transferred into private hands. Chaewon Chung updated January 28, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026 The organization also is to modernize wildland fire management for better national resilience on public lands. Noël Fletcher, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026 White Stadium sits on public land and relies on public infrastructure — transit, public safety, utilities, and coordination — that need not serve only event days. Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026 California has 337,412 records of mining claims on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management and 25,673 records of mines listed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public land

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public land was in 1789

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Public land.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20land. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.

Legal Definition

public land

noun
: land owned by a government
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!