land
noun
any part of the earth's surface not covered by a body of water; the part of the earth's surface occupied by continents and islands.
land
1 American
[land]
/ lænd /
noun
-
lands
plural
-
any part of the earth's surface not covered by a body of water; the part of the earth's surface occupied by continents and islands.
Land was sighted from the crow's nest.
-
an area of ground with reference to its nature or composition.
arable land.
-
an area of ground with specific boundaries.
to buy land on which to build a house.
-
rural or farming areas, as contrasted with urban areas.
They left the land for the city.
-
Law.
-
any part of the earth's surface that can be owned as property, and everything annexed to it, whether by nature or by the human hand.
-
any legal interest held in land.
-
-
Economics. natural resources as a factor of production.
-
a part of the surface of the earth marked off by natural or political boundaries or the like; a region or country.
They came from many lands.
-
the people of a region or country
-
Audio. the flat surface between the grooves of a phonograph record.
-
a realm or domain.
the land of the living.
-
a surface between furrows, as on a millstone or on the interior of a rifle barrel.
-
Scot. a tenement house.
verb (used with object)
-
lands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
landed,
past participle, past
-
landing
present participle
-
to bring to or set on land.
to land passengers or goods from a ship; to land an airplane.
-
to bring into or cause to arrive in a particular place, position, or condition.
His behavior will land him in jail.
-
Informal. to catch or capture; gain; win.
to land a job.
-
Angling. to bring (a fish) to land, or into a boat, etc., as with a hook or a net.
verb (used without object)
-
lands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
landed,
past participle, past
-
landing
present participle
-
to come to land or shore.
The boat lands at Cherbourg.
-
to go or come ashore from a ship or boat.
-
to alight upon a surface, as the ground, a body of water, or the like.
to land on both feet.
-
to hit or strike the ground, as from a height.
The ball landed at the far side of the court.
-
to strike and come to rest on a surface or in something.
The golf ball landed in the lake.
-
to come to rest or arrive in a particular place, position, or condition (sometimes followed byup ).
to land in trouble; to land up 40 miles from home.
verb phrase
idioms
-
land / fall on one's feet, feet.
-
see how the land lies, to investigate in advance; inform oneself of the facts of a situation before acting.
You should see how the land lies before making a formal proposal.
Land
2
American
[land]
/ lænd /
noun
-land
3
American
land
1
British
/ lænd /
noun
-
the solid part of the surface of the earth as distinct from seas, lakes, etc
-
-
ground, esp with reference to its use, quality, etc
-
( in combination )
land-grabber
-
-
rural or agricultural areas as contrasted with urban ones
-
farming as an occupation or way of life
-
law
-
any tract of ground capable of being owned as property, together with any buildings on it, extending above and below the surface
-
any hereditament, tenement, or other interest; realty
-
-
-
a country, region, or area
-
the people of a country, etc
-
-
a realm, sphere, or domain
-
economics the factor of production consisting of all natural resources
-
the unindented part of a grooved surface, esp one of the ridges inside a rifle bore
-
the prevailing conditions or state of affairs
verb
-
to transfer (something) or go from a ship or boat to the shore
land the cargo
-
(intr) to come to or touch shore
-
to come down or bring (something) down to earth after a flight or jump
-
to come or bring to some point, condition, or state
-
(tr) angling to retrieve (a hooked fish) from the water
-
informal (tr) to win or obtain
to land a job
-
informal (tr) to deliver (a blow)
Land
2
British
/ lant /
noun
Land
3
British
/ lænd /
noun
land
More Idioms
Usage
What does -land mean? The combining form -land is used like a suffix meaning “land.” It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms. The form -land comes from Old English.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
landsimple
-
landssimple
-
have landedperfect
-
has landedperfect
-
am landingprogressive
-
are landingprogressive
-
is landingprogressive
-
have been landingperfect progressive
-
has been landingperfect progressive
Past
-
landedsimple
-
had landedperfect
-
was landingprogressive
-
were landingprogressive
-
had been landingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of land
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse, Gothic land; akin to Irish lann “open space,” Welsh llan “church” (originally “enclosure”), Breton lann “heath.” See lawn 1
Explanation
Use the noun land to talk about the solid ground under your feet. It's nice to put your feet on dry land after a long trip in a sailboat. People who are afraid of flying are usually overjoyed to land on the land after hours in the sky — land is also a verb meaning "to settle down on the ground." You can use the word land, as well, to describe a government or ruler's territory: "He rules over the land between those mountains and the rocky coast." The words for land are the same in English, German, and Dutch, as the root is the Germanic landom.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The systems enable observations of the atmosphere, oceans and land, and the transmission of data that supports life-saving early warnings, reliable weather forecasting and long-term climate monitoring.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Stephen Cartwright, from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said: "We need the places right next to where people live, that are scrappy bits of land."
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
The Des Moines Register last week reported on a mystery buyer offering to purchase land in the area.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
In nearby Salem Township, dozens of families made millions of dollars selling their land for server farms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
My eyes land on Alex, one of the best violinists in our sophomore year.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The event organisers, The Land of Song Festival and the Principality Stadium, have been asked to comment.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
El Adli said the fossils likely belonged to an animal from one of two extinct mammal families that roamed North America during the Uintan North American Land Mammal Age.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
While the sun is blazing overhead, I keep the sat phone tucked in my back pocket and play the role of carefree traveler, riding jauntily around in Land Rovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The work was requested by the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Corporation, and GunaiKurnai representatives were involved in the research design, fieldwork, interpretation, and communication of the findings.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
The next morning, there were two soldiers and a Land Rover waiting for me.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
"We have large, sizable, fertile -land and good water," says Shihab.
From Time Magazine Archive
Shells, colour of, affected by light. -from Van Diemen's land. -land, extinct, at St. Helena. -particles of, drifted by the wind at St. Helena.
From Volcanic Islands by Charles Darwin
There is an old Yiddish joke: the schlemiel spills the soup; the schlimazel is the person it lands on.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Wherever the art lands, Russell said, his father will be remembered as “the great juxtaposer.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Caves within their lands have long been linked to spiritual practices.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
TD’s C$150 billion pledge lands as Prime Minister Mark Carney hosts a high-profile summit in Toronto aimed at showcasing major Canadian infrastructure and industrial projects to top global investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
She plops to the ground but lands unhurt.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
Within about 10 minutes, the loud thuds of strikes followed, one after another, though it was unclear where they landed.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
When Braxton Sorensen-McGee, with less than 10 minutes remaining, landed a tough conversion to bring the Black Ferns level at 19-19, the Red Roses once again found themselves in a sticky situation.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
A few weeks later, at our local taco place, we landed in a deeper conversation about family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
They landed at annual tuition and fees of $26,800 a year—a number Glowienka calls “closer to reality”—because it still offers wiggle room for scholarships while being comparable to out-of-state public tuition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
His right knee was swollen and discolored where he had landed on it after being tossed in the air.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Another area of the island, which lies roughly two miles off of Yemen’s coast, has what appears to be a helicopter landing area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Boeing has found a software problem with its MAX jets that can impact landing procedures.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Federal prosecutors in 2023 brought the largest “diesel tampering” case in history, flinging around felonies and landing $1.8 million in fines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
On Tuesday, 154 migrants arrived in three boats, of which one was an uncontrolled landing.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Although current technology allows STSs to predetermine a timeprint, spatial scientists have not yet developed technology to select specific geographic landing destinations outside of the STM coordinates.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
