geography
Americannoun
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geographies
plural
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the science dealing with the areal differentiation of the earth's surface, as shown in the character, arrangement, and interrelations over the world of such elements as climate, elevation, soil, vegetation, population, land use, industries, or states, and of the unit areas formed by the complex of these individual elements.
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the study of this science.
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the topographical features of a region, usually of the earth, sometimes of the planets.
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a book dealing with this science or study, as a textbook.
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the arrangement of features of any complex entity.
the geography of the mind.
noun
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the study of the natural features of the earth's surface, including topography, climate, soil, vegetation, etc, and man's response to them
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the natural features of a region
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an arrangement of constituent parts; plan; layout
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The scientific study of the Earth's surface and its various climates, countries, peoples, and natural resources.
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The physical characteristics, especially the surface features, of an area.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of geography
First recorded in 1535–45; from Latin geōgraphia, from Greek geōgraphía “earth description”; equivalent to geo- + -graphy
Explanation
Geography is the study of the land and how we use it. A geography lesson about your hometown would teach about the terrain, including any landforms like mountains or waterways, its vegetation, roads and other human-made developments, and its people. Geography means "description of the earth's surface." It is often confused with a related word, geology, which means "study of the earth." Geography is about anything that happens on the ground, or above it, including how people live and use the land, while geology studies the earth's content, like the plates that form it and how they move.
Vocabulary lists containing geography
Elements of the Universe: Geo ("Earth")
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geo
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Geography and Culture (Grade 8)
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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:
He says all of this means a missed opportunity to address deep-rooted trauma some of which he feels is etched into the very geography and psychology of modern Ghana.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
For parents, however, the problem goes beyond bad geography.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
More than 200 parameters go into creating the “perfect Pringle,” from the flour’s particle size and the dough’s humidity to the geography where the potatoes were harvested, according to Laenen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Taiwan's geography helps explain why trees of this size can grow there.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
I sighed, too embarrassed to tell him how much I missed school myself—not arithmetic or geography or social studies, but reading and drawing and playing with my friends at recess.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
Demand strengthened across nearly all of the company’s different seat tiers and geographies, JetBlue said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Chief Executive Jennifer Wong said the results show broad momentum across the business, spanning all geographies, channels and categories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Management said that Levi’s customers — across genders and geographies — had remained “resilient,” amid concerns about putting off clothing purchases or waiting for discounts as costs of living rise.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
He was referring to wide-area network, a term for optical networks across large geographies.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
It was the youth time of men, and there were no geographies or histories or books of science to explain to the ancients those things about life that everyone wants to know sooner or later.
From Wonder Stories The Best Myths for Boys and Girls by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
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.
