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

Markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for holidays. —Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026

Douyin, which is the sister app of TikTok Shop available in mainland China, is responsible for much of ByteDance’s social commerce business. —Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 23 Feb. 2026

Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, Belize Located on Central America’s northeastern coast, just south of Mexico, Belize consists of a mainland area and about 450 islands. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 22 Feb. 2026

Markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for holidays. —ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026

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