Promised Land

American  

noun

1. heaven.

2. Canaan, the land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants. Genesis 12:7.

3. (often lowercase) a place or situation believed to hold ultimate happiness.

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Promised Land British  

noun

1. Old Testament the land of Canaan, promised by God to Abraham and his descendants as their heritage (Genesis 12:7)

2. heaven, esp when considered as the goal towards which Christians journey in their earthly lives

3. any longed-for place where one expects to find greater happiness or fulfilment

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Promised Land Cultural  

1. The land that God promised he would give to the descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob; the land flowing with milk and honey; the land of Canaan, or Palestine. The Israelites did not take it over until after the Exodus, when they conquered the people already living there.

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By extension, an idyllic place or state of being that a person hopes to reach, especially one that cannot be reached except by patience and determination, is called a “Promised Land.”

Etymology

Origin of Promised Land

First recorded in 1560–70

Example Sentences

What’s more, Levine and Prinsloo’s new neighborhood boasts a very impressive number of celebrity residents, not least Oprah, whose enormous Promised Land estate backs up to the couple’s new dwelling.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025

Inside this edition, Cranach's map presents the stations of the wilderness wanderings and the division of the Promised Land into twelve tribal regions.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

For most, the land of Israel is central to the religion, the foundational narrative of which is about returning from slavery to the Promised Land.

From New York Times • Jan. 15, 2024

In the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, Amalek is a nation whose soldiers ambushed the Israelites as they made their way to the Promised Land.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2023

About staying on the right path, even when you can’t see the Promised Land.

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

Related Words

• heaven