inland

American  

[in-luhnd, in-land, -luhnd] / ˈɪn lənd, ˈɪnˌlænd, -lənd /

adjective

1. pertaining to or situated in the interior part of a country or region.

   inland cities.

2. British. domestic or internal.

   inland revenue.

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adverb

1. in or toward the interior of a country.

noun

1. the interior part of a country.

inland British  

adjective

1. of, concerning, or located in the interior of a country or region away from a sea or border

2. operating within a country or region; domestic; not foreign

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noun

1. the interior of a country or region

adverb

1. towards or into the interior of a country or region

Other Word Forms

• inlander
  noun

Etymology

Origin of inland

before 950; Middle English, Old English; see in- ¹, land

Explanation

Inland means far away from the ocean, or in the very middle of a country. If you were born and grew up in Kansas, you're familiar with inland living. The opposite of inland is coastal. When you travel to the rocky coast of Maine or the soft sandy beaches of Florida, you're far from being inland — you return to your inland home town when you fly back to Gary, Indiana. Inland comes from the Old English inn lond, "land around the mansion of an estate," and it began to mean "land far from the coast" in the 16th century.

Example Sentences

The San Diego valleys could have highs in the 80s; the Inland Empire, near 90; and the lower deserts, more than 100 degrees, the weather service office in San Diego said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

“California is tied with the highest poverty rate in the nation,” Adams said, according to Inland Empire Community News.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

He said those pressures are compounded by climate and coastal conditions that push pollution inland, especially into the Inland Empire, where unhealthy ozone days are even more severe.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Harry Potter: A Hogwarts Express Adventure will open at the Southern California Railway Museum this summer for guests to experience the Wizarding World rite of passage aboard a real moving train in the Inland Empire.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

The fishermen say the Heike samurai wander the bottoms of the Inland Sea still—in the form of crabs.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan