nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

a(1)

: nationality sense 5a

three Slav peoples … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation

—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)

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

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

2

archaic : group, aggregation

3

: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of American Indians)

the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma

Synonyms

• commonwealth
• country
• land
• sovereignty
• sovranty
• state

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

Co-directed by Brenda Michell, Michael Toledano, and Jennifer Wickham, the docu captures the Wet’suwet’en nation’s right to stewardship and sovereignty over their territories. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 20 May 2025

Per capita pharmaceutical spending in the U.S. is 2.3 times larger than the spending levels in the average OECD nation. —Wayne Winegarden, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

After this, Shapiro said both nations recognized the extent of American power. —Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025

Those negotiations led Washington and Beijing to agree to a 90-day pause on most of the tariffs that had ground trade between the two nations to a halt. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nacioun, from Anglo-French naciun, from Latin nation-, natio birth, race, nation, from nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget — more at kin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing nation

• nation-state
• the nation

Rhymes for nation

• cation
• dation
• haitian
• lation
• station
• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation

Kids Definition

nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

: nationality sense 3

2

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government

3

: the territory of a nation

Biographical Definition

Nation

biographical name

Na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

Car*ry ˈker-ē 

ˈka-rē

Amelia 1846–1911 née Moore American temperance agitator