1
a(1)
: nationality sense 5a
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 American Indians)
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
All of this will threaten our nation’s economic and national security.
—David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Our nation’s flight path through time has rarely been without turbulence, but it’s always preserved primarily because of one thing — the people who call that flag their own.
—Wes Koons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025
In both instances, the U.S. and several other nations came to Israel's defense in intercepting the incoming salvo, but damage was reported to several sites.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
That gesture, among many other policies, helped to secure for Reagan the admiration and affection of Central and Eastern European nations in the decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
—Joel Gehrke, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nation
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David Rosowsky, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Our nation’s flight path through time has rarely been without turbulence, but it’s always preserved primarily because of one thing — the people who call that flag their own.
—Wes Koons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 June 2025
In both instances, the U.S. and several other nations came to Israel's defense in intercepting the incoming salvo, but damage was reported to several sites.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
That gesture, among many other policies, helped to secure for Reagan the admiration and affection of Central and Eastern European nations in the decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
—Joel Gehrke, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nation
Cite this Entry
“Nation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nation. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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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