no-man's-land

noun

ˈnō-ˌmanz-ˌland How to pronounce no-man's-land (audio)
Definition of no-man's-landnext
as in desert
land that is uninhabited or not fit for crops the city's decayed industrial quarter is a no-man's-land of abandoned factories and weedy vacant lots

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of no-man's-land When this happens, their planet goes back and forth between being a searing, endless stretch of desert or frozen no-man's-land. — Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2024 Abandoned by King Hassan II for its association with the Rif mountain revolts after Moroccan independence, in 1956, Tangier became a dilapidated drive-through, a no-man's-land for another 50 years. — Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2023 Today, guerrillas, drug smugglers, poachers, and jaguars rule this vast no-man's-land. — David Ewing Duncan, Outside Online, 17 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for no-man's-land
desert
Noun
  • Thousands of people began flooding through the entrance gates at midnight for the annual event in which participants create Black Rock City from scratch in the desert about 80 miles north of Reno.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Pressing the Gravity’s DreamDrive button (located on the steering wheel), for instance, drove me from the Northridge area in northwest Los Angeles to the high desert north of Castaic, California (about a 25-mile drive).
    — Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of desert

Browse Nearby Words

nomads
no-man's-land
no-man's-lands
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Cite this Entry

“No-man's-land.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/no-man%27s-land. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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