peninsula

American  

[puh-nin-suh-luh, -nins-yuh-luh] / pəˈnɪn sə lə, -ˈnɪns yə lə /

noun

1. an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.

2. the Peninsula,

   1. Spain and Portugal together; Iberian Peninsula; Iberia.

   2. a district in SE Virginia between the York and James rivers: Civil War battles.

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peninsula ¹ British  

/ pɪˈnɪnsjʊlə /

noun

1. a narrow strip of land projecting into a sea or lake from the mainland

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Peninsula ² British  

noun

1. short for the Iberian Peninsula

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peninsula Scientific  

/ pə-nĭn′syə-lə /

1. A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with a larger landmass.

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peninsula Cultural  

1. A body of land enclosed on three sides by water, jutting out from a larger body of land.

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Usage

The noun peninsula is sometimes confused with the adjective peninsular: the Iberian peninsula (not peninsular )

Other Word Forms

• peninsular adjective
• peninsularism noun
• peninsularity noun
• transpeninsular adjective

Etymology

Origin of peninsula

1530–40; < Latin paenīnsula, equivalent to paen- pen- + īnsula island

Example Sentences

Saudi Arabia has pipelines that allow it to partly circumvent the blockage by routing crude across the peninsula to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

From The Wall Street Journal

On 28 April 2025, shortly after midday, the Iberian peninsula's electricity supply was shut down, causing widespread chaos, cutting internet and telephone connections and halting transport links.

From BBC

In Kamchatka, a peninsula located almost 4,500 miles from the front lines in Ukraine that hasn’t been struck by drones, the regional governor has appealed to Moscow to lift the restrictions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Located between Iran’s southern coast and a peninsula shared by Oman and the Emirates, the strait is a tiny section of sea connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

From Los Angeles Times

The snow and strong winds will create “nearly impossible travel conditions,” including blizzard conditions along coastal areas from the Delaware/Maryland/Virginia peninsula through southeastern New England.

From Barron's