public land

noun

: land owned by a government
specifically : that part of the U.S. public domain subject to sale or disposal under the homestead laws

Examples of public land in a Sentence

the management of public lands The government will auction off 20 parcels of public land.
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.
That means making sure that the people who live and work on our public lands can afford to do so, whether that’s a fishing guide, a firefighter, or a logger. Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 3 Feb. 2026 Per Inside Climate News’ Blanca Begert, the Bureau of Land Management has revived an effort to open more of California’s public lands to oil extraction. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026 Later in 2024, their feud boiled over and Khosla demanded an apology from Musk after the latter attacked Khosla for his role in a longrunning public land battle in California. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026 Zbur’s remarks referred to the administration’s proposals last year to add elements in a sweeping budget reconciliation package, which would have opened the door for more than 250 million acres of federal public land in Western states to be sold off or transferred into private hands. Chaewon Chung updated January 28, Sacbee.com, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for public land

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of public land was in 1789

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Cite this Entry

“Public land.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20land. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.

Legal Definition

public land

noun
: land owned by a government
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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