region
Americannoun
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regions
plural
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an extensive, continuous part of a surface, space, or body.
a region of the earth.
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Usually regions. the vast or indefinite entirety of a space or area, or something compared to one.
the regions of the firmament; the regions of the mind.
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a part of the earth's surface (land or sea) of considerable and usually indefinite extent.
a tropical region.
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a district without respect to boundaries or extent.
a charming region in Connecticut.
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a part or division of the universe, as the heavens.
a galactic region.
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a large indefinite area or range of something specified; sphere.
a region of authority.
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an area of interest, activity, pursuit, etc.; field.
studies in the region of logic.
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an administrative division of a city or territory.
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Zoogeography. a major faunal area of the earth's surface, sometimes one regarded as a division of a larger area.
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Anatomy. a place in or a division of the body or a part of the body.
the abdominal region.
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Mathematics.
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Also called domain. an open connected set.
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the union of such a set and some or all of its boundary points.
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noun
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any large, indefinite, and continuous part of a surface or space
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an area considered as a unit for geographical, functional, social, or cultural reasons
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an administrative division of a country
Tuscany is one of the regions of the Italian Republic
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a realm or sphere of activity or interest
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range, area, or scope
in what region is the price likely to be?
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a division or part of the boday
the lumbar region
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(in Scotland from 1975 until 1996) any of the nine territorial divisions into which the mainland of Scotland was divided for purposes of local government; replaced in 1996 by council areas See also islands council
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of region
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French regiun, from Latin regiōn-, stem of regiō “direction, line, boundary,” from reg(ere) “to make straight, guide, rule” + -iō -ion
Explanation
A region is an area. A region can be geographic — like a part of a country. A region can be intellectual — like a region of the mind. There are also bodily regions — like abdominal, thoracic, and posterior. A region is any space that is distinct from another area. The word region is from the Latin regionem which means “direction, boundary, district.” When you go to California you may want to travel north to the wine region, which will stimulate the taste-receptor region of your brain. After that, if you go south to the filmmaking region of Hollywood, you will excite the “movie-and-entertainment” region of your mind.
Vocabulary lists containing region
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Western Europe - Introductory
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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:
The pattern could train a stream of potent tropical moisture on Southern California, drenching the region, weather experts have said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Petrol prices across the region vary, but rural areas are more expensive due to higher transport costs, lower sales volumes, and a lack of local competition.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
"But the gentoo is of most concern in the sub-Antarctic region," an area of widely separated islands north of Antarctica governed by numerous countries, including Chile, South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand,
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Apple took in more than $64 billion in its Greater China region last year.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
There were lots of big trees all around the family farm and the region, where during the summer everything turned emerald green.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
“The University remained one of the few forces that transcended disparate regions and groups,” Pawel writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The striatum is a group of brain regions that helps regulate motivation, movement, and thinking.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The common theme across regions in the past week has been the near consistent return of short positioning, Citi says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Two of the other newly defined species could also be vulnerable as global warming reshapes the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions where they live.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Men of Númenor were settled far and wide on the shores and seaward regions of the Great Lands, but for the most part they fell into evils and follies.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
