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

McOsker stressed that the port is on public land and another space that residents should have greater insight into by offering transparency into how leaseholder agreements affect the local economy. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

In the last decade, almost all catastrophic wildfire originated on public lands. — Chris Edwards, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026

Waterfowl hunting changes Non Kansas residents who are hunting waterfowl, coot, sandhill crane, rail, or snipe on Kansas public lands and waters must stop by noon each day. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

McLean’s comments come days after the Washington Sun reported that a Nevada firm applied to build a 4-million-square-foot data center on public land near Blacks Creek Reservoir southeast of Boise. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 23 Sep. 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