terrain

noun

ter·​rain tə-ˈrān 

also te-

1

a(1)

: a geographic area

(2)

: a piece of land : ground

b

: the physical features of a tract of land

2

: terrane sense 1

3

a

: a field of knowledge or interest

b

: environment, milieu

Synonyms of terrain

• area
• realm
• element
• field
• domain
• walk
• department
• sphere
• kingdom

Examples of terrain in a Sentence

We had to drive over some rough terrain.

We hiked through a variety of terrains.

Recent Examples on the Web

Officials said Sunday that fire activity had prevented them from quickly reaching the area amid steep, rough terrain. — Jamie Stengle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2026

Nugraha said difficult terrain has complicated efforts, with some hotspots located on steep volcanic slopes that are difficult to reach by land. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Silverton Medical Rescue/Facebook Gallegos told CBS Colorado the group was riding in what is commonly called a side-by-side or utility terrain vehicle (UTV). — Logan Smith, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026

The Fishlake National Forest blaze near Kanosh has surged to 165 square miles, with only 19% contained, forcing evacuations, destroying structures and drawing more than 600 firefighters into rugged terrain. — Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, land, ground, from Old French terrein, from Vulgar Latin *terranum, alteration of Latin terrenum, from neuter of terrenus of earth — more at terrene

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing terrain

• all-terrain vehicle

Rhymes for terrain

• abstain
• airplane
• alkane
• arcane
• arraign
• attain
• backplane
• betaine
• biplane
• blockchain
• butane
• campaign

Kids Definition

terrain

noun

ter·​rain tə-ˈrān 

also te-

: the surface features of an area of land

rough terrain