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

Ice was brought in from the mainland to chill San Miguel Pale Pilsens in Coleman coolers. — Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Nov. 2026

Vanguard in 2023 sold its stake in a mainland China mutual fund operator to majority owner Ant Group. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 9 Nov. 2026

Fresh water on the island is scarce and depends on El Junco lagoon, while pests and food shipped in from the mainland make farming hard. — Lys Arango, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2026

Explosions were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the Strait of Hormuz and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. — Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 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