country

[ kuhn-tree ]

/ ˈkʌn tri /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: country / countries on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural coun·tries.

a state or nation: What European countries have you visited?

the territory of a nation.

the people of a district, state, or nation: The whole country backed the president in his decision.

the land of one's birth or citizenship.

rural districts, including farmland, parkland, and other sparsely populated areas, as opposed to cities or towns: Many city dwellers like to spend their vacations in the country.

any considerable territory demarcated by topographical conditions, by a distinctive population, etc.: mountainous country; the Amish country of Pennsylvania.

a tract of land considered apart from any geographical or political limits; region; district.

the public.

Law. the public at large, as represented by a jury.

country music.

adjective

of, from, or characteristic of the country; rural: a winding country road.

of, relating to, or associated with country music: That Nashville station plays country records all day long.

rude; unpolished; rustic: country manners.

of, from, or pertaining to a particular country.

Obsolete. of one's own country.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about country

go to the country, British. to dissolve a Parliament that has cast a majority vote disagreeing with the prime minister and cabinet and to call for the election of a new House of Commons.Also appeal to the country.

put oneself upon the / one's country, Law. to present one's cause formally before a jury.

Origin of country

1200–50; Middle English cuntree<Anglo-French, Old French <Vulgar Latin *(regiō) contrāta terrain opposite the viewer, equivalent to Latin contr(ā) counter³ + -āta, feminine of -ātus-ate¹; compare German Gegend region, derivative of gegenagainst

OTHER WORDS FROM country

in·ter·coun·try, adjective

Words nearby country

count one's chickens before they hatch, count out, count palatine, countrified, countrify, country, country-and-western, country and western music, country blues, country-bred, country club

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use country in a sentence

The Cuban government on May 8, 2019, detained this reporter for several hours at Havana’s José Martí International Airport after he tried to enter the country.
Cuban authorities threaten to arrest LGBTQ activist, journalist|Michael K. Lavers|September 17, 2020|Washington Blade
We have -- many of those countries are doing a phenomenal job.
Timeline: The 124 times Trump has downplayed the coronavirus threat|Aaron Blake, JM Rieger|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
The report says the HRC Foundation “proactively researched” the LGBTQ-related policies of more than 1,000 hospitals and health facilities across the country that did not participate in the 2020 survey.
HRC examines hospital policies, impact of COVID on LGBTQ people|Lou Chibbaro Jr.|September 16, 2020|Washington Blade
In a new poll of 13 nations released Tuesday, a median of 15 percent of respondents said the United States had handled the pandemic well, while 85 percent said the country had responded poorly.
Trump, in town hall, says he wouldn’t have done anything differently on pandemic|Colby Itkowitz, Josh Dawsey, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post

In light of the pandemic, several states across the country now temporarily allow patrons to carry out cocktails to enjoy at home.
Bar Rescue: Pandemic Edition|jakemeth|September 15, 2020|Fortune
In that country at that moment, the Catholics have practically disappeared.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Elsewhere, courts throughout the country have placed limits on speech this year.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“This is a federal mandate that is causing some real problems for schools across the country,” Kline told a CBS affiliate in July.
The Republican War on Kale|Patricia Murphy|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Charles “Father” Coughlin, a raving anti-Semite, was one of the most popular radio hosts in the country.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It marked a groundbreaking moment in how the country viewed Jews, especially Jewish women.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America?|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The country is well inhabited, for it contains fifty-one cities, near a hundred walled towns, and a great number of villages.
Gulliver's Travels|Jonathan Swift
In the drawing-room things went on much as they always do in country drawing-rooms in the hot weather.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Nothing remarkable occurred in our march through this country.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
There are some folk in this country, you know, who manifest a very retiring disposition at times.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
There'll be heaps uh fun in the Cypress Hills country when they get t' runnin' the whisky-jacks out.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for country

country

/ (ˈkʌntrɪ) /

noun plural -tries

a territory distinguished by its people, culture, language, geography, etc

an area of land distinguished by its political autonomy; state

the people of a territory or statethe whole country rebelled

an area associated with a particular personBurns country

the part of the land that is away from cities or industrial areas; rural districts
(as modifier)country cottage
(in combination)a countryman

Related adjective: pastoral, rural

short for country music

archaic a particular locality or district

up country away from the coast or the capital

one's native land or nation of citizenship

the country British informal the outlying area or area furthest from the finish of a sports ground or racecourse

(modifier) rough; uncouth; rusticcountry manners

across country not keeping to roads, etc

go to the country or appeal to the country mainly British to dissolve Parliament and hold an election

unknown country an unfamiliar topic, place, matter, etc

Word Origin for country

C13: from Old French contrée, from Medieval Latin contrāta, literally: that which lies opposite, from Latin contrā opposite

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

country

Idioms about country

Origin of country

OTHER WORDS FROM country

Words nearby country

Words related to country

How to use country in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for country

Word Origin for country