hinterland
Americannoun
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Often hinterlands. the remote or less developed parts of a country; back country.
The hinterlands are usually much more picturesque than the urban areas.
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the land lying behind a coastal region.
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an area or sphere of influence in the unoccupied interior claimed by the state possessing the coast.
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an inland area supplying goods, especially trade goods, to a port.
noun
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land lying behind something, esp a coast or the shore of a river
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remote or undeveloped areas of a country
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an area located near and dependent on a large city, esp a port
Etymology
Origin of hinterland
1885–90; < German: literally, hinder land, i.e., land behind
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.
The U.S. didn’t plan to police thousands of miles of coastline and hinterland.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Moreover, there is substantial income variation between urban vs. rural seniors, and between those in coastal megacities and those in hinterland counties.
From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025
When you’re just another tourist following a well-trodden itinerary, serendipity is rare, but the Georgian hinterland seems to regularly yield chance happenings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
A new start-up, called STAGE, has spawned a nascent film industry in this hinterland.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2024
While Marcus lay trembling with fear and guilt, and Julius in chains tracked Boots into the hot, dry hinterland, Aurelia was in her mother’s private apartment, where she had been summoned.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
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.
