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
[nay-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
[nay-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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Human Geography - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Countering that trend are young people who have spent the past three years doing the opposite: enlisting in the military, marrying and building lives inside a nation at war, reports Anvee Bhutani.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
A plague outbreak on the island nation of Madagascar killed over 200 people in 2017.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
They feature two bronze axe-heads, and clay moulds potentially used to make some of the unique bronze fittings in the nearby Peebles Hoard - which was saved for the nation in 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Samoa, a tiny island nation of about 221,000 people, sits about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“Ama does me proud. She does her nation proud. As do you.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
“The charts of bitcoin, and other leading cryptos, continue to look encouraging from a technical point of view,” David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation, said in recent emailed notes to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
The incident occurred on Tsawwassen First Nation land, south of Vancouver near the US-Canada border.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
“We’re Live Nation; we cannot make a movie where the festival looks fake,” executive Ryan Kroft proclaimed about the specific drive toward authenticity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The American Independent and One Nation did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
Mumbling from their end and then another voice: “Lincoln, from Hobemma Nation, out west. Tansi.”
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
While he spoke of cooperation, Rubio also said "nations need not abandon their distinct identities in order to recognise their common interests".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
To temporarily relieve price pressure, the Group of Seven wealthy nations on Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The world’s two most populous nations saw themselves as ancient civilizations humiliated by industrialized Western powers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
At last year's summit, fossil fuels were not mentioned by name in the final agreement after oil and gas-producing nations prevented consensus on the issue.
From Barron's ● Oct. 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.
