land
noun
any part of the earth's surface not covered by a body of water; the part of the earth's surface occupied by continents and islands.
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land
1 American
[land]
/ lænd /
noun
-
lands
plural
-
any part of the earth's surface not covered by a body of water; the part of the earth's surface occupied by continents and islands.
Land was sighted from the crow's nest.
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an area of ground with reference to its nature or composition.
arable land.
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an area of ground with specific boundaries.
to buy land on which to build a house.
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rural or farming areas, as contrasted with urban areas.
They left the land for the city.
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Law.
-
any part of the earth's surface that can be owned as property, and everything annexed to it, whether by nature or by the human hand.
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any legal interest held in land.
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-
Economics. natural resources as a factor of production.
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a part of the surface of the earth marked off by natural or political boundaries or the like; a region or country.
They came from many lands.
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the people of a region or country
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Audio. the flat surface between the grooves of a phonograph record.
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a realm or domain.
the land of the living.
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a surface between furrows, as on a millstone or on the interior of a rifle barrel.
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Scot. a tenement house.
verb (used with object)
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lands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
landed,
past participle, past
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landing
present participle
-
to bring to or set on land.
to land passengers or goods from a ship; to land an airplane.
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to bring into or cause to arrive in a particular place, position, or condition.
His behavior will land him in jail.
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Informal. to catch or capture; gain; win.
to land a job.
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Angling. to bring (a fish) to land, or into a boat, etc., as with a hook or a net.
verb (used without object)
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lands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
landed,
past participle, past
-
landing
present participle
-
to come to land or shore.
The boat lands at Cherbourg.
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to go or come ashore from a ship or boat.
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to alight upon a surface, as the ground, a body of water, or the like.
to land on both feet.
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to hit or strike the ground, as from a height.
The ball landed at the far side of the court.
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to strike and come to rest on a surface or in something.
The golf ball landed in the lake.
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to come to rest or arrive in a particular place, position, or condition (sometimes followed byup ).
to land in trouble; to land up 40 miles from home.
verb phrase
idioms
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land / fall on one's feet, feet.
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see how the land lies, to investigate in advance; inform oneself of the facts of a situation before acting.
You should see how the land lies before making a formal proposal.
Land
2
American
[land]
/ lænd /
noun
-land
3
American
land
1
British
/ lænd /
noun
-
the solid part of the surface of the earth as distinct from seas, lakes, etc
-
-
ground, esp with reference to its use, quality, etc
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( in combination )
land-grabber
-
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rural or agricultural areas as contrasted with urban ones
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farming as an occupation or way of life
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law
-
any tract of ground capable of being owned as property, together with any buildings on it, extending above and below the surface
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any hereditament, tenement, or other interest; realty
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-
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a country, region, or area
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the people of a country, etc
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-
a realm, sphere, or domain
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economics the factor of production consisting of all natural resources
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the unindented part of a grooved surface, esp one of the ridges inside a rifle bore
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the prevailing conditions or state of affairs
verb
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to transfer (something) or go from a ship or boat to the shore
land the cargo
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(intr) to come to or touch shore
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to come down or bring (something) down to earth after a flight or jump
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to come or bring to some point, condition, or state
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(tr) angling to retrieve (a hooked fish) from the water
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informal (tr) to win or obtain
to land a job
-
informal (tr) to deliver (a blow)
Land
2
British
/ lant /
noun
Land
3
British
/ lænd /
noun
land
More Idioms
Usage
What does -land mean? The combining form -land is used like a suffix meaning “land.” It is occasionally used in everyday and technical terms. The form -land comes from Old English.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
landsimple
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landssimple
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have landedperfect
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has landedperfect
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am landingprogressive
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are landingprogressive
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is landingprogressive
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have been landingperfect progressive
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has been landingperfect progressive
Past
-
landedsimple
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had landedperfect
-
was landingprogressive
-
were landingprogressive
-
had been landingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of land
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse, Gothic land; akin to Irish lann “open space,” Welsh llan “church” (originally “enclosure”), Breton lann “heath.” See lawn 1
Explanation
Use the noun land to talk about the solid ground under your feet. It's nice to put your feet on dry land after a long trip in a sailboat. People who are afraid of flying are usually overjoyed to land on the land after hours in the sky — land is also a verb meaning "to settle down on the ground." You can use the word land, as well, to describe a government or ruler's territory: "He rules over the land between those mountains and the rocky coast." The words for land are the same in English, German, and Dutch, as the root is the Germanic landom.
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:
Underground Etruscan tombs perforate the wooded land, “waiting to be cracked open like tin cans.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
One flight was diverted as a result - ordered to land in France – another was escorted into Rome by Italian air force jets, scrambled for the second time this week.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The months-long blazes have engulfed huge tracts of land and produced air pollution that has harmed human health, drifted across borders and frayed Indonesia's ties with its neighbours.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Where Raman will land on public safety is murkier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
They mostly talked to the people of the North End, listened to stories, and took care of the land with assorted donated trash pickers in hand.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Land inside your declared error bars and you are protected.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Land values have skyrocketed over the past decade, potentially generating hundreds of millions of dollars in untaxed profits for developers who own qualifying properties or businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
In 2018, it set up the nonprofit Tataviam Land Conservancy to acquire land — a typical strategy for tribes without federal recognition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
The chief executive of landowner body Scottish Land and Estates, Sarah-Jane Laing, said it was thrilled to hear gamekeepers had named the chick.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
She had woken up so early—and slept so little after that encounter with Nehemia...Unable to stop, Celaena wandered into the Land of Sleep.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
"We have large, sizable, fertile -land and good water," says Shihab.
From Time Magazine Archive
Shells, colour of, affected by light. -from Van Diemen's land. -land, extinct, at St. Helena. -particles of, drifted by the wind at St. Helena.
From Volcanic Islands by Charles Darwin
But Nejla and Esra won't be there -- because they have to stay to protect their lands.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
If a similar offer lands in your inbox, work through these five questions before you pick up the pen.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Hitman's new mission lands just weeks before the launch of the hugely-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
He says he hopes “Farewell to Russia” will encourage people to see these lands for themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Her question lands at my feet with a thud.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
The survey’s preliminary November index reading landed at 51, in data published Friday, compared with 48 in the final October reading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
A police union source said he picked it up, but a witness said the grenade landed on him.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
After flying around 10 miles, the drone landed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Three Ryanair flights landed in Bulgaria, according to Bulgarian media - one from Copenhagen and another from Madrid landed in the capital Sofia, while a third coming from London bound for Sofia landed in Plovdiv.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
We’d landed in the grass on the edge of the Academy’s large open green space in the center of campus that everyone called the Mall.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
It arrived like an alien spacecraft landing on our planet and shocked the world almost as much.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The group’s breakout 1985 single “I Wonder if I Take You Home” echoed in the dance clubs before crossing over into mainstream radio and landing the No. 34 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Workers who added ESG language to their résumés saw a greater increase in their chances of landing a new job than those who revised other parts of their résumés.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
"The Hungarian Defence Forces' Gripen fighter jets took to the air within minutes and ensured the safe landing of the passenger aircraft in Budapest," he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
Lily bounces up and down, landing squarely on my kneecap again.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
