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 Ben Masters' The River and the Wall takes a look at the land surrounding the Rio Grande and how the campaign promise of a border wall will impact the area in practice. — Carita Rizzo, The Hollywood Reporter, ""There's Something Evil Rising": How Political Turmoil Inspired This Year's Documentaries," 8 Nov. 2019 No matter its drilling potential, the BLM is still required to make the land available for oil and gas leasing. — Gabrielle Canon, USA TODAY, "New oil and gas drilling could start soon near popular California parks," 8 Nov. 2019 Americans tend to believe cemeteries are forever, like the land itself is considered sacred by the law or even by realtors. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Extreme Weather Could Wreak Havoc on Cemeteries," 7 Nov. 2019 The land that once was home to the Astrup Awning Co. is adjacent to the property on Seymour Avenue where Ariel Castro held three women -- Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus -- captive for several years. — Robert Higgs, cleveland, "Cleveland nears approval of tax incentives to develop community hub near site of Ariel Castro’s crimes," 7 Nov. 2019 Access to new antibiotics today is so limited today that the United States — the land of patient choice — has desperate patients like Roger Poser stuck on waiting lists to get the right drug for their drug-resistant infections. — Seema Verma, STAT, "Seema Verma: CMS’s ‘expanded pathway’ for new antibiotics can help fight antimicrobial resistance," 6 Nov. 2019 Texas San Antonio has one of the more entertaining backcourt tandems in the land in juniors Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace. — Patrick Stevens, The Denver Post, "College basketball has started. What better time for a March Madness bracket?," 6 Nov. 2019 One journeyed inside the mind of a child to meet the emotions that made her tick, while the other saw a young boy on a musical jaunt through the land of the dead. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Pixar bares its Soul in first look at film with Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey," 6 Nov. 2019 But recent incursions from the Juarez Cartel have led to shootouts in Agua Prieta and the land to the south. — Rafael Carranza, azcentral, "Ambush in Mexico: What we know about the deaths, the LeBaron family, the investigation and Trump," 5 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb For the second straight year, Deerfield High School has landed in the top 10% of high schools under Illinois’ rating system that looks at graduation rates, absenteeism and other markers along with academic proficiency. — Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "Highland Park High School’s ‘commendable’ report card rating not much different than Deerfield High School’s 'exemplary’ one, superintendent says," 4 Nov. 2019 The Huskies have landed a 10-star recruit, a little of bolt of lightning with a huge personality, writes sports columnist Mike Anthony. — Mikala Kane, courant.com, "Good news this week: Scouts climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, and a 7-year-old signs a letter of intent with UConn," 1 Nov. 2019 The weasel—to misquote a line from For All Mankind—has landed. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Swedish Character Actor Who Became an American Action Hero," 31 Oct. 2019 So far, the Beavers have landed Alex Lemon and Tavis Shippen, two of the nation’s top four junior college defensive ends, and rising junior college cornerback Ronald Hardge III. — oregonlive, "Latrell Bankston, nation’s No. 3 JC defensive tackle, trims list to 6; Oregon State Beavers make cut," 30 Oct. 2019 The agency has landed a number of big new clients in the past two years, including Watertown health IT firm athenahealth and the Grey Goose vodka brand. — BostonGlobe.com, "MullenLowe and Mediahub moving to the Seaport," 29 Oct. 2019 After spending a record 780 days in orbit, the U.S. Air Force’s X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle-5 (OTV-5) has finally landed. — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force’s Secret X-37B Spaceplane Has Finally Landed," 28 Oct. 2019 McMillian has landed on the policeman’s radar for having an affair with a white woman, an unforgivable sin in his eyes. — NBC News, ""Just Mercy" tells the story of Walter McMillian, a wrongfully convicted man who fights a flawed criminal justice system," 24 Oct. 2019 Infosys has landed into serious trouble yet again over whistleblower allegations. — Sangeeta Tanwar, Quartz India, "Infosys and its unending saga of trouble with whistleblowers," 24 Oct. 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

incongruous

not being in agreement or harmony

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