land

noun, often attributive

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\ ˈland

Definition of land

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 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

land

verb

landed; landing; lands

Definition of land (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from land Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing land Learn More About land

Synonyms for land

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

anchor,
dock

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun And sometimes just getting that first cold email, the first cold call, to land — because that’s the one that can start the momentum. — Brendan O'meara, Longreads, 10 May 2022 That man was transported by boat to land then airlifted to a nearby hospital. — Asha C. Gilbert, USA TODAY, 10 May 2022 In that permit, the DNR limited the number of animals on the farm to what already was housed there, and required water monitoring at two of the locations where the farm applies manure to the land as fertilizer. — Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10 May 2022 Such ties to the land have origins in Spain’s colonization of New Mexico, which began in 1598, years before the English first settled in the Virginia colony of Jamestown. — New York Times, 5 May 2022 The oceans where rocket boosters are usually sent to land can corrode the metal that the boosters are made of. — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 4 May 2022 This will result in planes spending less time flying circles around an airport waiting to land. — Steve Banker, Forbes, 2 May 2022 In dozens of countries, claims to foreign land could be used to inflame support for war. — Leif Wenar, WSJ, 2 May 2022 One of the many unanswered questions is what to do with the damage to the land, much of which is in some of the most remote sections of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, areas that account for a tiny fraction of migrant crossings. — The New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Where foul balls land depends on a stadium’s architecture. — Marc Bona, cleveland, 10 May 2022 The vote authorizes $16 million for the purchase of the aircraft, outfitting it with specialized gear like a hoist, radios, skids that allow the helicopter to land in rough terrain and a 375-gallon water tank. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2022 The morning gray light offers perfect conditions for camouflaging the heavy line and large treble hooks needed to land giants. — Steven E. Banks, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2022 But to some young people who land in her office, the thought of not keeping up a Snapchat streak is almost unfathomable. — Washington Post, 9 May 2022 Current projections indicate that the film could land a tally higher than $200 million once all the numbers are finalized after Sunday. — J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 7 May 2022 The 40-foot Madonna Queen of the Universe Shrine along the Greenway is probably the best spot in Boston to watch planes take off and land. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2022 And, her patient can take off and land as many times as needed during their hour-long session. — Raleigh Mcelvery, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 May 2022 Ultimately, no one can predict just how the market will play out and where mortgage rates will land. — Andrew Rosen, Forbes, 5 May 2022 See More

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.

History and Etymology for land

Noun

Middle English lond, land, going back to Old English, going back to Germanic *landa- (strong neuter noun), perhaps originally "untilled land" (whence also Old Frisian land, lond "land, earth, country, landed property," Old Saxon land, Old High German lant, Old Norse land, Gothic land "field, country"), going back to dialectal Indo-European *londh-o-, o-grade form of a noun with apparent zero-grade *ln̥dh-eh₂- in Celtic *land-ā-, whence Old Irish land, lann "land, plot, church building," Welsh llan "church and its adjoining property, enclosure," also Old Irish ithlann "threshing floor" (with ith "grain"), Old Welsh itlann, glossing Latin ārea "threshing floor," Welsh ydlan "barnyard" (with ŷd "grain"); and probably in Elfdalian (dialect of north central Sweden) linda "overgrown field," Old Prussian lindan (accusative singular) "valley"; zero-grade *ln̥dh- or full grade *lendh- in Slavic *lęd-, whence Russian ljadá "uncultivated field with first-growth forest," Old Russian ljadina "wasteland, weeds, thick brush," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian lèdina, ledìna "wasteland, virgin soil," Polish ląnd "dry land, mainland"

Note: The etymon is limited to northern European Indo-European: Celtic, Germanic, Slavic and (marginally) Baltic. E. Seebold (in F. Kluge, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 22. Auflage, 1989) proposes a derivative *lem-dh- from a verbal base *lem- "break (ground)," whence Old Church Slavic lemešĭ "plow," Lithuanian lẽmežis "wooden part of the plough" (compare Old Church Slavic lomiti "to break"). The suggestion has also been made that the etymon was borrowed from a non-Indo-European language.

Verb

Middle English londen, landen, derivative of lond, land land entry 1

Learn More About land

Dictionary Entries Near land

Lancs

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Last Updated

13 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Land.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land. Accessed 22 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for land

land

noun

\ ˈland

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

verb

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

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 land means both surface and mineral rights — California Public Resources Code

Land biographical name

\ ˈland