land

noun, often attributive

\ ˈland

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 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 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

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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Synonyms for land

Synonyms: Noun

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

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Eastside The wildly popular international chain Liuyishou Hotpot lands in Bellevue. — Tan Vinh, The Seattle Times, "Bellevue lands a famous, big-name hot-pot spot and 42 other new openings around the Seattle area," 13 Feb. 2019 Under the age-old international law, the rum ships in the Atlantic and Pacific could anchor but three miles from shore and in plain sight of the coast sell their cargoes to motorboats and rowboats from land. — Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, "Rewind: What Guarding Uncle Sam's Borders Was Like in 1925," 11 Feb. 2019 Nordic walking originated as a dry-land/warm-weather training alternative for cross-country skiers. — Karen Asp, SELF, "Nordic Walking Is My Favorite Form of Cardio—Here’s Why You Should Try It," 10 Feb. 2019 Divine's Story Two airy white tents occupy what until the day before was just a plot of stark, dusty red land in Bugesera, rural Rwanda. — Caterina Clerici & Eléonore Hamelin, Marie Claire, "Rwanda's Future Is Female," 1 Feb. 2019 Miller heavily implied that the accusers and magistrates of Salem were motivated by a combination of fear and greed, including a desire to seize the lands of the accused. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "Trump’s favorite slander against Robert Mueller’s investigation has a very long history.," 26 Jan. 2019 Jutting out over the lake’s shore and connecting to land via steel piles, the 540-square-foot prefab rooms have a sumptuous arched shape that’s reminiscent of a boat’s bow. — Jenny Xie, Curbed, "The 7 most impressive prefab homes from 2018," 27 Dec. 2018 Like a Mediterranean Cornwall, Salento, at the tip of Italy’s heel, is both a land’s end peninsula and a crossroads of cultures (some locals still speak an ancient Greek dialect). — Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, "Puglia's Insider Address: Palazzo Daniele," 24 Dec. 2018 The Delta has such rich soil and a long growing season, but few people are using the land to grow food. — Sandy M. Fernandez, Woman's Day, "How Three Women Are Pioneering to End Hunger in the U.S.," 14 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Both the weight of the spacecraft and the satellite’s high altitude orbit mean that SpaceX will not be landing the Falcon 9 rocket after launch. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Watch SpaceX launch its final Falcon 9 rocket of the year for the Air Force," 21 Dec. 2018 The opposite judgment should land with just as much force. — Ezra Klein, Vox, "Republicans are paying the Trump tax," 7 Nov. 2018 And landing on the tiny planet may be the key to solving some of its many mysteries — if only someone can figure out how to do it. — Meghan Bartels, Space.com, "What Would It Take to Land on Mercury? It's Time to Find Out, Scientists Say," 30 Aug. 2018 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that : 0%: 0% STEP 4: Don’t panicMost modern airliners can virtually land themselves but still require pilot input. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Land an Airplane, According to Bear Grylls," 27 Aug. 2018 After a two day journey, the spacecraft should land on the moon Feb. 13, 2019, to plant an Israeli flag and to collect scientific data for two months. — Lilly Price, USA TODAY, "Israel plans mission to the moon using smallest spacecraft to ever make the journey," 11 July 2018 One of those cases could eventually land before the Supreme Court. 2. — Jeff Stein, chicagotribune.com, "From arbitration to discrimination: 3 ways Trump's Supreme Court pick could transform U.S. labor law," 10 July 2018 The collection launches on Ulta.com on July 16th and will land in drugstores by August. — refinery29.com, "Camila Cabello's Summer Makeup Line Will Take You Back To Havana," 9 July 2018 Former Pistons assistant coach Bob Beyer could land a spot with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Billy Donovan’s staff, a source told the Free Press. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey 'never put us down,' says Raptors PG," 6 July 2018

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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Dictionary Entries near land

Statistics for land

Last Updated

20 Feb 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for land

The first known use of land was before the 12th century

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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

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