plural nations
1
a(1)
: nationality sense 2b
… [three Slav peoples] … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation.—
Hans Kohn
Hans Kohn
(2)
: a politically organized nationality
(3)
in the Bible
: a non-Jewish nationality
Why do the nations conspire … ?—Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)
Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)
b
: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government
Canada is a nation with a written constitution …—B. K. Sandwell
B. K. Sandwell
c
: a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status
… a nation of vast size with a small population …—Mary K. Hammond
Mary K. Hammond2
archaic
: group, aggregation
3
: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of Indigenous peoples)
a member of the Cherokee Nation
the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma
Examples of nation in a Sentence
It's one of the richest nations in the world.
the largest state in the nation
The President will speak to the nation tonight.
The entire nation is celebrating the victory.
Recent Examples on the Web
Now, ferries transport crowds to the incomplete sea fort in the middle of the Charleston Harbor to see a glimpse of life on the island and the attack that divided a nation for years to come.
—Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 10 June 2026
The Murmuration is divided into three sections, the longest of which involves a detailed account of the aforementioned semifinal, which took place 15 years before Labbé’s birth in Chile, the first and only time that nation hosted the tournament.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
That’s 60 percent from the Kansas City area, 40 percent from outside the region, and 15 percent of those from other nations.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for nation
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.
Usa Today Network, USA Today, 10 June 2026
As part of our Language of Soccer World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to supporters of all 48 nations competing at the 2026 edition to capture their unique football culture, distilled into a single phrase.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 10 June 2026
The Murmuration is divided into three sections, the longest of which involves a detailed account of the aforementioned semifinal, which took place 15 years before Labbé’s birth in Chile, the first and only time that nation hosted the tournament.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
That’s 60 percent from the Kansas City area, 40 percent from outside the region, and 15 percent of those from other nations.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for nation
Cite this Entry
“Nation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nation. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nation
noun
na·tion
ˈnā-shən 
2
: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government
3
: the territory of a nation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
