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
Thanks to the vast amount of public land in Utah, off-roading is insanely popular.
—
Alexandra Cheney, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2023
As an attorney at ADL, Lehrer appealed to the California Coastal Commission in 1985 to decline the request of the Jonathan Club — which leased 58,000 square feet of public land for its beachfront location — to improve its Santa Monica property unless the club enforced a nondiscrimination policy.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023
Courts have limited when officers can push homeless people off public land when there are no available beds.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
Wild horses and burros are protected under a 1971 law that established the right for these unbranded animals to live on public land, often referred to as the range.
—Mark Scaglione, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
The pair were driving down a dirt road on Oct. 15, away from their campsite on public land in west-central Montana, when Chris stopped to glass.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 18 Oct. 2023
Authorized through executive order, rather than Congress, the new program will recruit young Americans to plant trees, conserve public lands, and protect biodiversity.
—Jeff Luse, National Review, 11 Oct. 2023
Spurred by the efforts of a small group of Yachats residents, his tribe and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians joined with the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, which manage most public lands on the central coast.
—oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
Officials divided The drama surrounding Fairfield Lake State Park comes as Texas State Parks is celebrating its centennial year and has plans for six new parks and expanded public land throughout the state.
—Lana Ferguson, Dallas News, 15 Aug. 2023
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Alexandra Cheney, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2023
As an attorney at ADL, Lehrer appealed to the California Coastal Commission in 1985 to decline the request of the Jonathan Club — which leased 58,000 square feet of public land for its beachfront location — to improve its Santa Monica property unless the club enforced a nondiscrimination policy.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023
Courts have limited when officers can push homeless people off public land when there are no available beds.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2023
Wild horses and burros are protected under a 1971 law that established the right for these unbranded animals to live on public land, often referred to as the range.
—Mark Scaglione, NBC News, 27 Sep. 2023
The pair were driving down a dirt road on Oct. 15, away from their campsite on public land in west-central Montana, when Chris stopped to glass.
—Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 18 Oct. 2023
Authorized through executive order, rather than Congress, the new program will recruit young Americans to plant trees, conserve public lands, and protect biodiversity.
—Jeff Luse, National Review, 11 Oct. 2023
Spurred by the efforts of a small group of Yachats residents, his tribe and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians joined with the U.S. Forest Service and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, which manage most public lands on the central coast.
—oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
Officials divided The drama surrounding Fairfield Lake State Park comes as Texas State Parks is celebrating its centennial year and has plans for six new parks and expanded public land throughout the state.
—Lana Ferguson, Dallas News, 15 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'public land.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1789, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near public land
Cite this Entry
“Public land.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20land. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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Legal Definition
public land
noun
: land owned by a government
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