nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

plural nations

1

a(1)

: nationality sense 2b

… [three Slav peoples] … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation.

—Hans Kohn

(2)

: a politically organized nationality

(3)

in the Bible : a non-Jewish nationality

Why do the nations conspire … ?

—Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)

b

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government

Canada is a nation with a written constitution …

—B. K. Sandwell

c

: a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status

… a nation of vast size with a small population …

—Mary K. Hammond

2

archaic : group, aggregation

3

: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of Indigenous peoples)

a member of the Cherokee Nation

the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma

Synonyms of nation

• state
• country
• commonwealth

Examples of nation in a Sentence

It's one of the richest nations in the world.

the largest state in the nation

The President will speak to the nation tonight.

The entire nation is celebrating the victory.

Recent Examples on the Web

And since January, nearly 900 asylum claimants have been sent back to the US after being deemed ineligible under the Safe Third Country Agreement between the two nations, Cameron said. — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

The gold mine collapse was the latest mining disaster in the mineral-rich Central African nation. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

Details of most of the deals are never made public and some of the African nations, like Ghana’s government, have defended their actions as having been taken on humanitarian grounds. — Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Now Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is threatening even more secondary sanctions on nations — not just business entities — that do business with Iran. — Npr Staff, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nacioun, from Anglo-French naciun, from Latin nation-, natio birth, race, nation, from nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget — more at kin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing nation

• nation-state
• the nation

Rhymes for nation

• cation
• dation
• haitian
• lation
• station
• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation

Kids Definition

nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

: nationality sense 3

2

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government

3

: the territory of a nation

Biographical Definition

Nation

biographical name

Na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

Car*ry ˈker-ē 

ˈka-rē

Amelia 1846–1911 née Moore American temperance agitator