villa
noun
a country residence or estate.
villa
1 American
[vil-uh]
/ ˈvɪl ə /
noun
villas
plural
-
a country residence or estate.
-
any imposing or pretentious residence, especially one in the country or suburbs maintained as a retreat by a wealthy person.
-
British. a detached or semidetached dwelling house, usually suburban.
Villa
2
American
[vee-uh, vee-yah]
/ ˈvi ə, ˈvi jɑ /
noun
villa
1
British
/ ˈvɪlə /
noun
-
(in ancient Rome) a country house, usually consisting of farm buildings and residential quarters around a courtyard
-
a large and usually luxurious country residence
-
a detached or semidetached suburban house
-
a medium-sized suburban house standing in its own grounds
Villa
2
British
/ ˈviːə, ˈbiʎa /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of villa
1605–15; (< Italian ) < Latin vīlla a country house, farm, akin to vīcus village, wick 3
Explanation
If you don't want to sound like a snob, don't describe your family's house in the country as a villa. A villa is a fancy vacation home. Calling your weekend country house a villa will inevitably sound like you're showing off. Still, the word has been around ever since ancient Roman times to mean "country house for the elite." In Italian, villa means "country house or farm." Most villas include a large amount of land and often barns, garages, or other outbuildings as well.
Vocabulary lists containing villa
Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 3–4
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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:
During the final, Kavan said he "couldn't be luckier" to have been in the villa with his brother and to have met Jasmine.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
When a gay American man arrives to archive her art collection, he’s pulled along by a romance and a deeper mystery at the villa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
All Stars is a spin-off of the hit dating show, which sees past contestants return for a second chance at finding love in the villa.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Estevez travelled to Abu Dhabi in the spring of 2023, meeting with Tahnoon’s chief of staff at his villa, and visiting G42’s headquarters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
He nodded his chin towards the villa behind her.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Jackson, who has returned from a loan spell at Bayern Munich, was expected to remain at Stamford Bridge but is open to leaving amid interest from Aston Villa.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The most famous current example is Jhon Duran, the former Aston Villa striker joining the seventh club of his career at the age of just 22 last week.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Morgan Rogers was quick to mention one of his closest friends, Cole Palmer, when he signed for Chelsea from Aston Villa.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Many of Rogers' best moments at Villa were in the inside-left channel.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The family was silent as Mr. Kapasi drove them back, a little past four-thirty, to Hotel Sandy Villa.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
French-style villas stand to be bulldozed, along with modest Hanoi-style "tube" houses and densely packed low-rises.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
They stay in hotels on the beach and villas in the surrounding countryside, and walk through the small shops and restaurants, looking for parties where they can network and be seen.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
It called the resort a “flagship project” and said that it would include villas and a yacht club and host crypto and artificial-intelligence events, and that some of its proceeds would go toward charity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
During festival season, Bravo charges around $150,000 for a weekend at one of the villas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
When the moon came out again we could see white villas on the shore on the slopes of the mountain and the white road where it showed through the trees.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
