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

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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

Longtime residents of a small patch of land called Bird Island at Elmendorf Lake Park, they are either loved or hated. — Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "City, military officials took wrong route to Elmendorf’s bird island," 8 June 2019 On Thursday, Newhouse walked to the edge of his neighbor’s field, where about an acre of land was underwater. — Tony Briscoe, chicagotribune.com, "Because of historic rains, less than half the normal amount of corn has been planted in Illinois. The next weeks are make or break for farmers.," 7 June 2019 For investigators and the families looking for answers, the students are a welcome infusion of manpower that makes searching large areas of land for hints of a missing person – like a tooth or piece of bone – easier. — Libby Solomon, baltimoresun.com, "Towson University forensic science students search Kentucky park for missing person from 1980," 7 June 2019 On his plot of land, Sawadogo had built a small shelter out of branches. — Peter Whoriskey, Anchorage Daily News, "Much of the chocolate you buy starts with child labor," 6 June 2019 The cultural soundtrack of the district is a funk, soul subgenre that is deeply rooted in the Black people of the land and has been under attack for making white residents uncomfortable. — Kynala Phillips, Essence, "New Bill Could Make Go-go Music The Official Sound Of D.C.," 5 June 2019 Whoever did that has a far different picture of this land that Parker and other men fought so hard to gain. — Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, "From the archives: A D-Day veteran returns to Normandy," 5 June 2019 That’s when, for a fleeting week, a sea of red-and-white tent tops overtakes the grassy 40 acres of land. — Grace Dickinson, https://www.inquirer.com, "Huntingdon Valley’s June Fete: Rides, funnel cake, and 100-plus years of history," 5 June 2019 Sprawling over a parcel of land two miles long and a half-mile wide in Hackberry, Louisiana, the Cameron facility expects to export about 12 million tons per year of LNG in the first phase of operations. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "First shipment goes out at Sempra’s new LNG facility in Louisiana," 3 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Eve Feuerbach Manchester Essex | Senior The Cape Ann Small MVP consistently landed in the top 5 individually, capturing second place at D5 EMass sectionals (18:54) and the Cape Ann League meet (20:49). — BostonGlobe.com, "2018-19 Girls' Cross-country All-Scholastics," 10 June 2019 Cerrone landed a jab that put a cut above Ferguson's right eye, bloodying Ferguson's face. — Patrick Rose, chicagotribune.com, "Tony Ferguson beats Donald Cerrone by TKO at UFC 238 at the United Center," 9 June 2019 The ball landed on the green, took one hop, bounced off the flagstick and came to rest inches away to set up a tap-in birdie. — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, "Pebble Beach’s 10 most memorable shots, including Watson and Nicklaus at 17," 9 June 2019 His anglers have landed bass to better than 8 pounds on the lures. — Frank Sargeant, al.com, "How to wake up and catch summer largemouth bass," 9 June 2019 The only pitcher on the Angels staff with a higher ERA is Matt Harvey, who had a 7.50 ERA in 48 innings before landing on the injured list because of an upper-back strain. — Maria Torres, latimes.com, "Jose Suarez will make another spot start for Angels against Mariners," 8 June 2019 Chapman, who was married to novelist Phillip Finch, landed on her feet. — oregonlive.com, "KGW anchor’s colloquial language (and local clown ignorance) sparked outrage during 1975 Rose Fest parade," 7 June 2019 Seventy-five years ago this week, Americans motivated by different values — those of honor and duty to country — landed in Normandy on D-Day. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: Eternal gratitude for D-Day vets; Stapleton’s legacy; A plea for civility (6/6/19)," 6 June 2019 Four months after losing the Connecticut Open, New Haven has landed a new professional tennis tournament as part of the Oracle Challenger Series, the series announced Thursday. — Alex Putterman, courant.com, "New Haven lands new professional tennis tournament as part of Challenger Series," 6 June 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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Dictionary Entries near land

Statistics for land

Last Updated

12 Jun 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