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

Ocracoke Island is about a 190-miles southeast from downtown Raleigh, and is reached from the mainland by ferry on plane. —Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 16 Apr. 2026

The city ranks among the world's busiest container ports despite a steady decline in throughput over the past decade as cargo shifted to mainland Chinese ports. —Lee Ying Shan,emily Tan, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026

When the Liberty City location was engulfed during the McDuffie riots on May 17, 1980, toxic flames were visible on both sides of the Miami mainland for six days. —Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026

Tickets for the Games were sold exclusively to spectators residing in China’s mainland who met the requirements of the COVID-19 countermeasures. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026

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