terrain

American  

[tuh-reyn] / təˈreɪn /

noun

• terrains
  plural

1. a tract of land, especially as considered with reference to its natural features, military advantages, etc.

2. Geology. terrane.

---

terrain British  

/ təˈreɪn, ˈtɛreɪn /

noun

1. ground or a piece of ground, esp with reference to its physical character or military potential

   radio reception can be difficult in mountainous terrain

   a rocky terrain

2. a variant spelling of terrane

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• terrains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of terrain

1720–30; < French ≪ Vulgar Latin *terrānum, noun use of neuter of *terrānus of land. See terra, -an

Explanation

An ATV, or all-terrain vehicle, is useful for people who drive on lots of different terrain, hence the name. Terrain is a noun used to talk about the ground, when you're specifically interested in how it appears or is shaped. In times of war, you'll often hear the term "hostile terrain" used to describe a region with lots of mountains, vast stretches of desert, or impenetrable jungles. These are all areas of difficult terrain that are hard to pass. Much of humankind's history can be traced by its effort to alter the terrain. We've made mountains into meadows, rivers into lakes, and prairies into roads, all to make the terrain more livable for us. You could even go so far as to say that a person's psyche is mysterious terrain.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

terrain terrains

That’s well within the average 31-mile range of the electrified tundra buggies deployed by wildlife tour company Frontiers North Adventures, with 5-foot high wheels that can tackle rugged and boggy terrain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Authorities said they had been hampered by weather conditions as well as the park's terrain - which consists of bog-like territory, moorland and forests.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

“Firefighters on the ground are experiencing some extremely steep and rugged terrain mixed with hot, dry temperatures and winds that are pretty variable,” Cal Fire Battalian Chief Josh Silveira said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

In the false-color view, healthy vegetation appears light green, while burned terrain appears brown.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Under poisonous clouds, the rolling terrain glistened purple with dark red and blue scar lines.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

The U.S. has a diverse range of terrains across its 3.8 million square miles, including the desert in the Southwest.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

Satellites offering consumers and companies internet access, even in typically difficult to access areas and terrains, are starting to become a more popular enterprise for tech companies.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2026

Part of the museum’s expansive textile collection, Rosalena’s 27-foot-long tapestry is woven with hand-weaving patterns using satellite images the artist distorted from planetary terrains from Mars and Earth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

But exploiting these giant reserves remains complicated in the impoverished states with harsh and remote terrains.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025

On top of that, they had selected one of the most nearly impossible terrains on Earth.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• area
• contour
• field
• ground
• land
• province
• region
• soil
• territory
• topography
• turf