plural nations
1
a(1)
: nationality sense 2b
… [three Slav peoples] … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation.—
Hans Kohn
Hans Kohn
(2)
: a politically organized nationality
(3)
in the Bible
: a non-Jewish nationality
Why do the nations conspire … ?—Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)
Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)
b
: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government
Canada is a nation with a written constitution …—B. K. Sandwell
B. K. Sandwell
c
: a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status
… a nation of vast size with a small population …—Mary K. Hammond
Mary K. Hammond2
archaic
: group, aggregation
3
: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of Indigenous peoples)
a member of the Cherokee Nation
the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma
Examples of nation in a Sentence
It's one of the richest nations in the world.
the largest state in the nation
The President will speak to the nation tonight.
The entire nation is celebrating the victory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sixty years after the boycott, Africa has nine nations competing at this 48-team World Cup.
—Simon Hughes, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Haddad said the qualification offers an opportunity for the world to see a different side of Jordan, a nation often overshadowed by regional conflicts.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Their cohort’s graduation year of 2038 will also bring with it the school’s 400th anniversary, the second-oldest public institution for secondary education in our nation’s history, its foundation dating back to Connecticut’s colonial times in 1638.
—Dr. Andraé Townsel, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
Carnival Horizon docks in Curaçao on June 25, the same day the island nation plays Ivory Coast in its final group stage match.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for nation
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Simon Hughes, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Haddad said the qualification offers an opportunity for the world to see a different side of Jordan, a nation often overshadowed by regional conflicts.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 17 June 2026
Their cohort’s graduation year of 2038 will also bring with it the school’s 400th anniversary, the second-oldest public institution for secondary education in our nation’s history, its foundation dating back to Connecticut’s colonial times in 1638.
—Dr. Andraé Townsel, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
Carnival Horizon docks in Curaçao on June 25, the same day the island nation plays Ivory Coast in its final group stage match.
—Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for nation
Cite this Entry
“Nation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nation. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nation
noun
na·tion
ˈnā-shən 
2
: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government
3
: the territory of a nation
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