landslide

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noun land·slide \ ˈlan(d)-ˌslīd \

Definition of landslide

1 :the usually rapid downward movement of a mass of rock, earth, or artificial fill on a slope; also :the mass that moves down

2 a :a great majority of votes for one side

b :an overwhelming victory

See landslide defined for English-language learners

See landslide defined for kids

Examples of landslide in a Sentence

The earthquake triggered a landslide.
They were buried under the landslide.
The presidential election turned out to be one of the biggest landslides in history.
She won the election by a landslide.

Recent Examples of landslide from the Web

Despite her landslide 2013 reelection, Bachelet had seen low approval ratings, widespread social protests and relatively few pro-women achievements in her current term.

— susan franceschet, Washington Post, "Chile’s president is a woman — and she just scored a major policy victory for women. Here’s why that matters.," 30 Aug. 2017
On Thursday, helicopters and other rescue services were searching for eight people who were reported missing after the landslide.

— ella ceron, Teen Vogue, "Hundreds Protested NFL's Treatment of Colin Kaepernick," 24 Aug. 2017
Venezuela’s dueling political factions have been at loggerheads since Maduro’s opponents wrested control of the legislature in a landslide election victory in 2015.

— andrew rosati, Bloomberg.com, "Venezuela's Legislative Super Body Grabs Congress's Powers," 18 Aug. 2017
Though Ronald Reagan won the 1984 election in a landslide, thoroughly thrashing Walter Mondale, the end of his second administration was beset by staff upheaval and intense intra-cabinet bickering and back stabbing.

— matt giles, Longreads, "Scaramucci’s Removal Evokes White House Turmoil During the Reagan Years," 31 July 2017
In 1959 an earthquake near Yellowstone National Park killed 28 people, most of whom were camping along Hebgen Lake when a collapsing canyon wall buried the area in a landslide of 80 million tons of boulders and trees.

— andrea gawrylewski, Scientific American, "Resurrecting Ancient Beasts, a Mysterious Disease and Other New Science Books," 24 July 2017
In May 2014 the BJP won a landslide election victory with promises of a smaller, cleaner and more effective state.

— The Economist, "The elephant in its labyrinthIn the race with its tricky neighbour, India has recently been winning," 22 July 2017
In March, when the Bharatiya Janata Party won a landslide electoral victory in Uttar Pradesh, political prognosticators expected Mr. Modi to make a safe choice — Manoj Sinha, a cabinet minister known for his diligence and loyalty to the party.

— ellen barry and suhasini raj, New York Times, "Firebrand Hindu Cleric Ascends India’s Political Ladder," 12 July 2017
Big Sur’s cliffside coastline plunges spectacularly into the Pacific—a drop so steep that the area is constantly digging out from landslides.

— GQ, "Dive Into America's Best Pools," 30 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'landslide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of landslide

1822

landslide

verb

Definition of landslide

landslid play \ˈlan(d)-ˌslid\; landsliding play \ˈlan(d)-ˌslī-diŋ\

intransitive verb

1 :to produce a landslide

2 :to win an election by a heavy majority

First Known Use of landslide

1926

LANDSLIDE Defined for English Language Learners

landslide

play

noun

Definition of landslide for English Language Learners

: a large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly moves down the side of a mountain or hill
: an election in which the winner gets a much greater number of votes than the loser

LANDSLIDE Defined for Kids

landslide

play

noun land·slide \ ˈland-ˌslīd \

Definition of landslide for Students

1 :the sudden and rapid downward movement of a mass of rocks or earth on a steep slope

2 :the material that moves in a landslide

3 :the winning of an election by a very large number of votes

Learn More about landslide

See words that rhyme with landslide Spanish Central: Translation of landslide Nglish: Translation of landslide for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of landslide for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about landslide

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landslide

Definition of landslide

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landslide

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LANDSLIDE Defined for English Language Learners

landslide

Definition of landslide for English Language Learners

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landslide

Definition of landslide

First Known Use of landslide

LANDSLIDE Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of landslide for English Language Learners

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