nation
noun
a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own.
nation
1 American
[ney-shuhn]
/ ˈneɪ ʃən /
noun
-
nations
plural
-
a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own.
The president spoke to the nation about the new tax.
-
the territory or country itself.
the nations of Central America.
- Synonyms:
- realm, kingdom, commonwealth, state
-
a member tribe of an American Indian confederation.
-
an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family, often speaking the same language or cognate languages.
Nation
2
American
[ney-shuhn]
/ ˈneɪ ʃən /
noun
nation
British
/ ˈneɪʃən /
noun
-
an aggregation of people or peoples of one or more cultures, races, etc, organized into a single state
the Australian nation
-
a community of persons not constituting a state but bound by common descent, language, history, etc
the French-Canadian nation
-
-
a federation of tribes, esp American Indians
-
the territory occupied by such a federation
-
Synonym Usage
See race 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of nation
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin nātiōn- (stem of nātiō ) “birth, tribe,” equivalent to nāt(us) (past participle of nāscī “to be born”) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A nation is a country and its people. It's also the word used for the Native American tribal federations in the US — the Cherokee Nation, for instance — which have their own governments and territories. Nation comes from the Latin root nat-, which means "born" — the neonatal unit in a hospital is where the newborn babies are cared for. You can also use nation more loosely for ethnic or religious groups: you might speak of "the Jewish nation," meaning not just the country, or nation, of Israel, but Jews all over the world. The Nation of Islam is an African-American Muslim group.
Vocabulary lists containing nation
Human Geography - Middle School
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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Human Geography - High School
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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:
From Chinese influence to Victoria Falls, here are five things to know about the southern African nation of 22 million people.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
In the past five years, Sanxingdui has captured the imagination of a Chinese nation eager to revel in its long history and civilizational accomplishments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Many of the culprits then were the same as those still driving extinctions across the nation today.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The 1975 team was ranked No. 1 in the nation to start the season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Finally, at the climax of a twelve-day manhunt that had gripped the nation, a heavily armed patrol of the Sixteenth New York Cavalry had cornered Lincoln’s assassin!
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
When a wildfire broke out near his First Nation community in northern Ontario, Hubert Wigwas decided to stay put.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
And in 2018, one wing of the Nation Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro burned down with the loss of many fossil specimens that were on display.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
The couple then set up the charity Love Every Nation Athens to help other refugees.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press and co-host of the Memoir Nation podcast, says this has put pressure on memoirists to push the envelope and find ever-more-shocking traumas to mine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
I practically needed an Iguanador Nation force shield to protect me.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
France and Spain have battled their worst infernos in living memory this summer, while other nations in Europe and as well as the US northwest and Canada have also experienced serious blazes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Very dry conditions were observed in July across western and central European nations including France, Spain, Austria and Hungary but also the United Kingdom, Ireland and part of Iceland.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
The leaders of the three majority Sunni Muslim nations signed the agreement at a ceremony in Mecca, home to the holiest site in Islam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
If allied nations and American enterprises conclude that the vibrant, dependable open ecosystem is the Chinese one, they will build their sovereign AI infrastructure on it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Astronauts from all nations can still go into space from the Soviet Union, and countries such as China have developed their own space programs.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
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.
