public land

noun

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of public land

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

See public land defined for English-language learners

Examples of public land in a Sentence

the management of public lands
The government will auction off 20 parcels of public land.

Recent Examples of public land from the Web

McCONNELSVILLE, Ohio - Come summertime, nature lovers in Ohio will have another piece of public land to enjoy: Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area in Southeast Ohio.

— susan glaser, cleveland.com, "Ohio's new Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area carved from former coal mining land," 25 Mar. 2018
Not every species on the list is a problem in every locale, said Bill Whitacre, the association's policy adviser for public land and agriculture.

— phil drake, USA TODAY, "Feral cats listed among top invasive species in the West," 22 Mar. 2018
These slums often sat on prime parcels of public land, and many redevelopment sites are now dotted with luxury residences, with the requirement to provide on-site housing for former residents largely ignored.

— anjali kamat, The New Republic, "Political Corruption and the Art of the Deal," 21 Mar. 2018
Trump is reorganizing the public land Leviathan - and DC bureaucrats are not happy.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: Suspense in Pennsylvania over closely watched election; Behind Trump's firing of Rex Tillerson," 14 Mar. 2018
The agency's widespread problems mirror recent misconduct scandals within the nation's other major public lands agency, the Interior Department.

— CBS News, "Female firefighter to lead Forest Service, after former head leaves amid misconduct claims," 9 Mar. 2018
Currently, Sonoma County does controlled burns on its public lands — but those account for only about 5 percent of the county.

— lizzie johnson, San Francisco Chronicle, "Wildfire-ravaged Sonoma County grapples with reality: It will burn again," 7 Mar. 2018
Concord’s annual cleanup of roadside litter and trash on public land takes place this week, with a major emphasis on Saturday, April 7.

— jennifer fenn lefferts, BostonGlobe.com, "Concord’s annual trash cleanup to start," 28 Mar. 2018
Clarification: An earlier version of this story wasn’t clear about how Interior can open up public land for development.

— lauren katz, Vox, "Ryan Zinke spent his first year in office selling off rights to our public lands," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'public land.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of public land

1789

in the meaning defined above

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PUBLIC LAND Defined for English Language Learners

public land

noun

Definition of public land for English Language Learners

: land that is owned and taken care of by the government

Law Dictionary

public land

noun

legal Definition of public land

: land owned by a government

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public land

Definition of public land

Examples of public land in a Sentence

Recent Examples of public land from the Web

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PUBLIC LAND Defined for English Language Learners

public land

Definition of public land for English Language Learners

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public land

legal Definition of public land

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public land

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public land

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public land

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