mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

mainlander

ˈmān-ˌlan-dər 

-lən-

noun

Synonyms of mainland

• continent

Examples of mainland in a Sentence

the boat back to the mainland leaves once every two days

Recent Examples on the Web

HashKey’s trading debut is the latest in a flurry of debuts in Hong Kong, as companies flood back to the city’s stock exchange hoping to tap the city’s connections to both mainland Chinese and global pools of capital. —Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025

While mainland China has imposed a blanket ban on cryptocurrencies since 2021, Hong Kong has been more receptive toward digital assets. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2025

Hong Kong, a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has a separate judicial system to that of mainland China – which has a conviction rate above 99%. —Katrina Samaan, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025

Predators introduced by waves of human settlers have eliminated tuatara in much of their original habitat, which once spanned all of mainland New Zealand. —Elizabeth Preston, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mainland

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

mainlander noun

Geographical Definition

Mainland

geographical name

Main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

1

honshu

2

island in northern Scotland; largest of the Orkney Islands

3

island in northern Scotland; largest of the Shetland Islands