land

noun, often attributive

\ ˈland

How to pronounce land (audio)

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Definition of land

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the solid part of the surface of the earth also : a corresponding part of a celestial body (such as the moon)

b : ground or soil of a specified situation, nature, or quality dry land

c : the surface of the earth and all its natural resources

2 : a portion of the earth's solid surface distinguishable by boundaries or ownership bought land in the country : such as

a : country the finest cheese in all the land

b : a rural area characterized by farming or ranching also : farming or ranching as a way of life wanted to move back to the land

3 : realm, domain in the land of dreams —sometimes used in combinationTV-land

4 : the people of a country the land rose in rebellion

5 : an area of a partly machined surface (such as the inside of a gun barrel) that is left without machining

land

landed; landing; lands

Definition of land (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to set or put on shore from a ship : disembark

2a : to set down after conveying

b : to cause to reach or come to rest in a particular place never landed a punch

c : to bring to a specified condition his wit landed him in trouble

d : to bring to a landing land an airplane

e : to complete successfully by landing the skater landed all her jumps

3a : to catch and bring in land a fish

b : gain, secure land a job landed the leading role

intransitive verb

1a : to go ashore from a ship : disembark

b of a ship or boat : to touch at a place on shore

2a : to come to the end of a course or to a stage in a journey : arrive took a wrong turn and landed on a dead-end street

b : to come to be in a condition or situation landed in jail

c : to strike or meet a surface (as after a fall) landed on my head

d : to alight on a surface

Land

biographical name

\ ˈland

How to pronounce Land (audio)

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Definition of Land (Entry 3 of 3)

Edwin Herbert 1909–1991 American inventor and industrialist

Other Words from land Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about land

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Examples of land in a Sentence

Noun the land along the highway The land stretched as far as you could see. They cleared some land to grow crops. After two days of sailing, we were miles from land. They invaded the country by land and by sea. They own land in Alaska. They bought some land and built a house. His lands extend as far as the eye can see. He was the most powerful politician in the land. the lands of the Far East Verb The plane landed on the runway. We watched the seaplanes landing on the water. The bird landed in a tree. A butterfly landed on the flower. Our flight was scheduled to land in Pittsburgh at 4:00. It was raining heavily at the airport when we landed. The pilot was able to land the plane on the runway. The golf ball landed in the trees. I could not see where the ball landed. The cat fell from the tree but landed on its feet.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The density of the number of units on the land is twice what the city's Comprehensive Plan calls for, Dan Henkel, president of the Riddle Manor Residents Association, said. — Cortlynn Stark, Indianapolis Star, "City undoes 50-year protection to pave way for apartments near Glendale Target," 4 Sep. 2019 Today, that is microorganisms in the ocean and plants on land. — Fox News, "Mass extinction event 2 billion years ago killed 99 percent of life on Earth, study says," 3 Sep. 2019 Some speculate that the goal is to clear homeless encampments by moving people into government-run shelters on federal land. — Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, "Trump loves to attack California on homelessness. Will he do it again during his visit?," 17 Sep. 2019 But the costs of building wind farms at sea are still nearly twice as high as on land. — Christopher Martin, Fortune, "Why Bill Gates Thinks It’s Time to End Subsidies for Wind and Solar Power," 17 Sep. 2019 All measurements, whether made at sea, on land, or in space, bear some degree of uncertainty. — BostonGlobe.com, "How deep is the deep end of the ocean? The answer turns on an array of factors nearly as wide as the sea itself: the barometric pressure over the site in question, the seawater’s density and temperature, the vagaries of measurement and, perhaps, on whether a world record is at stake.," 17 Sep. 2019 Further Reading The end-Cretaceous mass extinction was rather unpleasant The uppermost materials contain combustion byproducts called PAHs and even some charcoal, which likely represents residue from wildfires on land. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Here’s what happened in the impact crater the day it did in the dinos," 15 Sep. 2019 Seeking shelter The Amazon basin, 60 percent of which is in Brazil, is the most biodiverse place in the world, not only on land but also in the water. — National Geographic, "Amazon fish species at risk if fires destroy river habitat," 13 Sep. 2019 Archaeology works hand in glove here with settler efforts to press Jewish claims on the land. — Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, "Cable Cars Over Jerusalem? Some See ‘Disneyfication’ of Holy City," 13 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb There were questions about a $681 million payment that landed in Najib’s personal bank account. — Shamim Adam, Washington Post, "How Malaysia’s 1MDB Scandal Shook the Financial World," 18 Sep. 2019 But playoff positioning in the Western Conference continues to be a weekly snow globe, with seven contenders for six spots seemingly being shaken up and landing in different positions on a week-to-week basis. — Avi Creditor, SI.com, "The MLS XI, Week 28: Sounders Fans, Galaxy Make Statements," 16 Sep. 2019 Studies have found that someone's critical thinking skills can protect them from flawed decisions in all areas of life, from being misled by a fad diet, to falling for scams, getting in debt and even landing in jail. — David Robson, CNN, "How to be a human lie detector of fake news, according to the latest science," 16 Sep. 2019 Last month, Thunberg crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a solar-powered boat, landing in New York City on Aug. 28. — USA TODAY, "Fugitive pig, proverb library, sodium warnings: News from around our 50 states," 16 Sep. 2019 Upon landing in Lima, we were met with the city’s infamous grey layer of fog. — Vogue, "How Ed Droste Spent Two Wild Weeks in Peru," 14 Sep. 2019 Graffiti vandalism has started occurring at the cemetery in the lead up to the 75th anniversary of allied forces landing in the Netherlands to liberate the area from Nazi control during WWII, the BBC reported. — Fox News, "Vandals spray paint swastika, deface graves of fallen WWII soldiers in Netherlands," 14 Sep. 2019 Pomona gave it right back, as Ritzman’s pass landed in the hands of Valor DB Griffin Meier. — Marco Cummings, The Denver Post, "Gavin Sawchuk scores twice to power Valor Christian past Pomona," 13 Sep. 2019 Musgrove departed after five and the Giants got on the board in the sixth, courtesy of Evan Longoria’s two-run homer off Yacksel Rios that landed high in the left-field bleachers. — Steve Kroner, SFChronicle.com, "September blues: Giants fall to Pirates," 12 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'land.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for land

land

noun

English Language Learners Definition of land

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the solid part of the surface of the Earth : an area of ground

: an area of the earth's solid surface that is owned by someone

: a country or nation

land

verb

English Language Learners Definition of land (Entry 2 of 2)

: to return to the ground or another surface after a flight

: to cause (an airplane, helicopter, etc.) to return to the ground or another surface after a flight

: to hit or come to a surface after falling or moving through the air

See the full definition for land in the English Language Learners Dictionary

land

\ ˈland

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Kids Definition of land

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the solid part of the surface of the earth

2 : an area of ground or soil of a particular kind fertile land

3 : a part of the earth's surface marked off by boundaries They bought some land.

4 : a country or nation your native land

5 : the people of a country All the land rose in rebellion.

land

landed; landing

Kids Definition of land (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to go ashore or cause to go ashore from a ship The troops landed on the island.

2 : to come down or bring down and settle on a surface The airplane landed.

3 : to hit or come to a surface I fell and landed on my back.

4 : to be or cause to be in a particular place or condition He landed in jail.

5 : to catch and bring in land a fish

6 : to succeed in getting land a job

land

Legal Definition of land

1 : an area of the earth usually inclusive of improvements, bodies of water, and natural or man-made objects and extending indefinitely upward and downward — compare air right

2 : an estate, interest, or right in land land means both surface and mineral rights — California Public Resources Code

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WORD OF THE DAY

bruit

to spread as a report or rumor

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