mainland

[ meyn-land, -luhnd ]
See synonyms for mainland on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the principal land of a country, region, etc., as distinguished from adjacent islands or a peninsula: the mainland of Greece.

  2. any part of or all of the continental United States or conterminous United States, especially from the perspective of someone in a geographically detached U.S. state or territory, such as Hawaii or Guam:I’m not sure where on the mainland Jasmine went to college, but it may have been Milwaukee.

Origin of mainland

1
First recorded in1325–75; Middle English; see origin at main1, land

Words Nearby mainland

Other definitions for Mainland (2 of 2)

Mainland
[ meyn-land, -luhnd ]

noun
  1. the largest of the Shetland Islands. About 200 sq. mi. (520 sq. km).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mainland in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mainland (1 of 2)

mainland

/ (ˈmeɪnlənd) /


noun
  1. the main part of a land mass as opposed to an island or peninsula

  2. the mainland a particular landmass as viewed from a nearby island with which it has close links, such as Great Britain as viewed from Northern Ireland or continental Australia as viewed from Tasmania

Derived forms of mainland

  • mainlander, noun

British Dictionary definitions for Mainland (2 of 2)

Mainland

/ (ˈmeɪnlənd) /


noun
  1. an island off N Scotland: the largest of the Shetland Islands. Chief town: Lerwick. Pop: 17 550 (2001). Area: about 583 sq km (225 sq miles)

  2. Also called: Pomona an island off N Scotland: the largest of the Orkney Islands. Chief town: Kirkwall. Pop: 15 315 (2001). Area: 492 sq km (190 sq miles)

  1. the Mainland NZ a South Islanders' name for South Island

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012