land

noun, often attributive \ ˈland \

Definition of land

1 a :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 combination

TV-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

—

landless

play \ˈland-ləs\ adjective

—

landlessness

play \ˈland-ləs-nəs\ noun

See land defined for English-language learners

See land defined for kids

Examples of land in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of land from the Web

More: Billboard company wants to cut down hundreds of trees on public land in Louisville The group paid $6,200 for the billboard, which will be on display for a month, said PETA spokeswoman Amber Canavan.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Truckload of pigs killed on I-64 in Louisville won't be forgotten thanks to PETA billboard," 29 Aug. 2017
Alcohol had played a key role in defrauding Indians of their lands.

— Longreads, "America’s First Addiction Epidemic," 29 Aug. 2017
Estimates for damages caused by Hurricane Harvey are climbing with the storm poised to regain strength in the Gulf of Mexico before crashing back on land.

— brian k sullivan, Bloomberg.com, "In Pictures: Harvey Wreaks Havoc Across Texas," 28 Aug. 2017
When on land, penguins make all sorts of grunts and squeals to communicate within their colonies, writes George Dvorsky at Gizmodo.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Watch Gentoo Penguins Hunting From a Bird’s Eye View," 28 Aug. 2017
America was founded as a multi-ethnic state by virtue of occupying lands populated by whites, Indians, African slaves, and, later, Hispanics from annexed Mexican territories.

— j. j. mccullough, National Review, "I Love America (and the Alt-Right Doesn’t)," 28 Aug. 2017
This is old-school Kenya: The little lodge occupies a bowl of magical land surrounded by the Lolldaiga Hills.

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Enasoit Lodge," 25 Aug. 2017
The organization has directly and indirectly preserved more than 11,000 acres of land since its founding in 1991.

— The Aegis, "'Ideal' day on water for Harford Land Trust's annual Kayak Poker Run," 24 Aug. 2017
Pot growers have turned public lands into industrial agricultural sites.

— jeff wheelwright, Discover Magazine, "Marijuana: An Environmental Buzzkill," 21 Aug. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of land

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German lant land, Middle Irish lann

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

land Synonyms

Synonyms

commonwealth, country, nation, sovereignty (also sovranty), state

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

land

verb

Definition of land

transitive verb

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

2 a :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

3 a :to catch and bring in

land a fish

b :gain, secure

land a job

landed the leading role

intransitive verb

1 a :to go ashore from a ship :disembark

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

2 a :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

See land defined for English-language learners

Examples of land in a Sentence

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 of land from the Web

When the last plane landed at 5:10 a.m. on Friday, she was filled with relief knowing the babies and her team had made it out safely.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "A Nurse on Rescuing Critically Ill Babies From Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
As UAB's recruiting coordinator for six years, Neal also helped land some of the better players in program history, such as quarterback Darrell Hackney, defensive back Rodregis Brooks and linebacker Brian Smith.

— kevin scarbinsky, AL.com, "From UAB to Oregon and back, John Neal makes a return of his own," 29 Aug. 2017
Remember, with Rey at middle linebacker the first six games of 2015 when Burfict landed on PUP, the team went 6-0, including a victory against San Diego where Rey hauled in a leaping, game-sealing interception.

— paul dehner jr., Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals Walkthru: This is why you pay Vinny Rey," 28 Aug. 2017
Special favors are what landed Jay Y. Lee in jail and got President Park Geun-hye, the daughter of former leader Park Chung-hee, impeached.

— bruce einhorn, Bloomberg.com, "What Comes Next for Korea's Top Firms After Samsung Heir Convicted," 27 Aug. 2017
McGregor landed effectively with lead right jabs and connected with a left uppercut that highlighted McGregor’s early fight performance against an inactive Mayweather.

— by santos a. perez, miamiherald, "After beating Conor McGregor, Floyd Mayweather says he’s retiring from boxing — again," 27 Aug. 2017
Shotwell's big break—landing a coveted spot at SpaceX—came 15 years ago.

— colleen leahey mckeegan, Marie Claire, "Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the Woman Who Could Take Us to Mars," 17 Aug. 2017
As Damla Dogan (senior vice president of development and programming at E!) recalls to THR, producers still hadn’t found the right title despite landing an airdate in 2007.

— peggy truong, Cosmopolitan, "10 Stunning Revelations From the Kardashian Family's Oral History of KUWTK With The Hollywood Reporter," 16 Aug. 2017
Jaime misses this little gathering and retreats back to King’s Landing to break the news to his sister, who in her naivete is extremely optimistic and confident.

— elyse roth, Glamour, "Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5 Recap: Arya Is on to Littlefinger, the Wight War Is Imminent, and More," 13 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of land

13th century

land Synonyms

Synonyms

anchor, dock, make port

Antonyms

go, leave

Related Words

berth, moor, tie up; beach, ground; harbor; arrive, reach, show up, turn up; debark, disembark

Near Antonyms

embark, launch, sail

Land

biographical name \ ˈland \

Definition of Land

Edwin Herbert 1909–1991 American inventor and industrialist

LAND Defined for English Language Learners

land

noun

Definition of land for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of land for English Language Learners

: 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

LAND Defined for Kids

land

noun \ ˈland \

Definition of land for Students

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.

—

landless

\-ləs\ adjective

land

verb

Definition of land for Students

landed; landing

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

Headscratcher for land

Airplanes usually land on land. But some planes can come to rest on water. When this happens, it is still called a landing.

Law Dictionary

land

noun

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