mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland How to pronounce mainland (audio)
-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

Examples of mainland in a Sentence

the boat back to the mainland leaves once every two days
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The beach resort is based on the island of Zanzibar, off the Indian Ocean coast of mainland Tanzania. Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2025 The company’s debut comes as Hong Kong has reclaimed its crown as the world’s top listing venue in 2025, driven by surging investor interest in tech stocks and mainland Chinese companies pivoting towards Hong Kong listings to hedge against U.S.-China tensions. Cat Wang, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025 Last year, Singapore had the third-largest share of luxury store openings among 32 Asia-Pacific cities, excluding those in China’s mainland, according to data from Savills, a real estate firm. India Brown, Robb Report, 7 July 2025 Roughly the same number of men were forced to spend the storm inside the Adler Planetarium when high waves made the causeway between it and the mainland impassable. Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for mainland

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mainland was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Mainland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainland. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

mainland

noun
main·​land ˈmān-ˌland How to pronounce mainland (audio)
-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 How to pronounce Mainland (audio)
-lənd
1
2
island in northern Scotland; largest of the Orkney Islands
3
island in northern Scotland; largest of the Shetland Islands

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