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

For more than five decades, the Department has been charged with protecting and humanely managing wild horses and burros on public lands. — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

The rule has prevented the construction of new roads in over 45 million acres of public land around the country, as well as timber extraction and oil, gas and coal development. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Wyoming has more pronghorns than any other state and plenty of public lands on which to pursue them, most of them easily accessible to an ordinary highway car. — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026

Its public lands and tourism economy are part of that story, as are the intergenerational ties, civic commitment and local institutions that hold the community together. — Meredith Archer Hatch, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for public land

• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand
• hinterland
• motherland

Legal Definition

public land

noun

: land owned by a government