land

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
a
: the solid part of the surface of the earth
also : a corresponding part of a celestial body (such as the moon)
b
: ground or soil of a specified situation, nature, or quality
dry land
c
: the surface of the earth and all its natural resources
2
: a portion of the earth's solid surface distinguishable by boundaries or ownership
bought land in the country
: such as
a
: country
the finest cheese in all the land
b
: a rural area characterized by farming or ranching
also : farming or ranching as a way of life
wanted to move back to the land
3
: realm, domain
in the land of dreams
sometimes used in combination
TV-land
4
: the people of a country
the land rose in rebellion
5
: an area of a partly machined surface (such as the inside of a gun barrel) that is left without machining
landless adjective
landlessness noun

land

2 of 2

verb

landed; landing; lands

transitive verb

1
: to set or put on shore from a ship : disembark
2
a
: to set down after conveying
b
: to cause to reach or come to rest in a particular place
never landed a punch
c
: to bring to a specified condition
his wit landed him in trouble
d
: to bring to a landing
land an airplane
e
: to complete successfully by landing
the skater landed all her jumps
3
a
: to catch and bring in
land a fish
b
: gain, secure
land a job
landed the leading role

intransitive verb

1
a
: to go ashore from a ship : disembark
b
of a ship or boat : to touch at a place on shore
2
a
: to come to the end of a course or to a stage in a journey : arrive
took a wrong turn and landed on a dead-end street
b
: to come to be in a condition or situation
landed in jail
c
: to strike or meet a surface (as after a fall)
landed on my head
d
: to alight on a surface

Examples of land in a Sentence

Noun the land along the highway The land stretched as far as you could see. They cleared some land to grow crops. After two days of sailing, we were miles from land. They invaded the country by land and by sea. They own land in Alaska. They bought some land and built a house. His lands extend as far as the eye can see. He was the most powerful politician in the land. the lands of the Far East Verb The plane landed on the runway. We watched the seaplanes landing on the water. The bird landed in a tree. A butterfly landed on the flower. Our flight was scheduled to land in Pittsburgh at 4:00. It was raining heavily at the airport when we landed. The pilot was able to land the plane on the runway. The golf ball landed in the trees. I could not see where the ball landed. The cat fell from the tree but landed on its feet.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Noun
Indigenous artisans and entrepreneurs readily adapted to the influx of visitors including the Laguna Pueblo, whose land was bisected by the railroad. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024 Leave a comment View Comments The bulk of that income is generated from a portfolio of land, property and other assets, called the Duchy of Lancaster, worth about £648 million ($811 million), according to the duchy’s accounts for the last financial year. Anna Cooban, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
The bomb, set to explode once a certain altitude had been reached, caused a fire, but the plane was able to land safely. 2001: Microsoft released its first Xbox video game console. Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024 Return to Oz, which grossed $11 million and landed an Oscar nom for the visual effects that incorporated claymation by Will Vinton, marked Murch’s first and last directorial effort. Ryan Gajewski, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for land 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English lond, land, going back to Old English, going back to Germanic *landa- (strong neuter noun), perhaps originally "untilled land" (whence also Old Frisian land, lond "land, earth, country, landed property," Old Saxon land, Old High German lant, Old Norse land, Gothic land "field, country"), going back to dialectal Indo-European *londh-o-, o-grade form of a noun with apparent zero-grade *ln̥dh-eh2- in Celtic *land-ā-, whence Old Irish land, lann "land, plot, church building," Welsh llan "church and its adjoining property, enclosure," also Old Irish ithlann "threshing floor" (with ith "grain"), Old Welsh itlann, glossing Latin ārea "threshing floor," Welsh ydlan "barnyard" (with ŷd "grain"); and probably in Elfdalian (dialect of north central Sweden) linda "overgrown field," Old Prussian lindan (accusative singular) "valley"; zero-grade *ln̥dh- or full grade *lendh- in Slavic *lęd-, whence Russian ljadá "uncultivated field with first-growth forest," Old Russian ljadina "wasteland, weeds, thick brush," Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian lèdina, ledìna "wasteland, virgin soil," Polish ląnd "dry land, mainland"

Note: The etymon is limited to northern European Indo-European: Celtic, Germanic, Slavic and (marginally) Baltic. E. Seebold (in F. Kluge, Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, 22. Auflage, 1989) proposes a derivative *lem-dh- from a verbal base *lem- "break (ground)," whence Old Church Slavic lemešĭ "plow," Lithuanian lẽmežis "wooden part of the plough" (compare Old Church Slavic lomiti "to break"). The suggestion has also been made that the etymon was borrowed from a non-Indo-European language.

Verb

Middle English londen, landen, derivative of lond, land land entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of land was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near land

Cite this Entry

“Land.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/land. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

land

1 of 2 noun
1
: the solid part of the surface of the earth
2
: a portion of the earth's surface
fenced land
marshy land
3
4
: real estate
owns land in Alaska
landless adjective

land

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to set or go ashore from a ship : disembark
b
: to stop at or near a place on shore
2
: to come down or bring down and settle on a surface
land a plane
3
: to bring to or arrive at a destination or a position or condition
4
a
: to catch and bring in
land a fish
b
lander noun

Legal Definition

land

noun
1
: an area of the earth usually inclusive of improvements, bodies of water, and natural or man-made objects and extending indefinitely upward and downward compare air right
2
: an estate, interest, or right in land
land means both surface and mineral rightsCalifornia Public Resources Code

Biographical Definition

Land

biographical name

Edwin Herbert 1909–1991 American inventor and industrialist

More from Merriam-Webster on land

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