geography

noun

ge·​og·​ra·​phy jē-ˈä-grə-fē 

plural geographies

1

: a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface

2

: the geographic features of an area

3

: a treatise on geography

4

a

: a delineation or systematic arrangement of constituent elements : configuration

The philosophers … have tried to construct geographies of human reason …

—Times Literary Supplement

b

: makeup sense 1

her emotional geography

Synonyms of geography

• topography
• landscape
• terrain

Examples of geography in a Sentence

studying the geography of the western United States

the geography of the region matches ancient descriptions of the location of the lost city

Recent Examples on the Web

The think tank studies California’s political geography every few years, gauging which issues residents care about the most. — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

For a long time, though, archaeologists weren’t sure Caesar’s geography could be trusted. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Nearly as many are considering relocating AI infrastructure to specific geographies because of geopolitical concerns. — Dilip Kumar, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Along with names comes a geography of stories, legends, and myths, sewn into the culture and history of the many people who have lived and live—for now—alongside them. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin geographia, from Greek geōgraphia, from geōgraphein to describe the earth's surface, from geō- + graphein to write — more at carve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing geography

• dialect geography
• linguistic geography
• physical geography

Rhymes for geography

• angiocardiography
• electrocardiography
• arteriography
• autobiography
• biogeography
• cholangiography
• cinematography
• historiography
• photolithography
• photomicrography
• ultrasonography
• ventriculography

Kids Definition

geography

noun

ge·​og·​ra·​phy jē-ˈäg-rə-fē 

plural geographies

1

: a science that deals with the location of living and nonliving things on earth and the way they affect one another

2

: the natural parts of an area

the geography of the western U.S.

geographer

-fər

noun

geographic

ˌjē-ə-ˈgraf-ik

adjective

or geographical

-i-kəl

geographically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb