country

American  

[kuhn-tree] / ˈkʌn tri /

noun

• countries
  plural

1. a state or nation.

   What European countries have you visited?

2. the territory of a nation.

   The country is about 150 miles long.

3. the people of a district, state, or nation.

   The whole country backed the president in his decision.

4. the land of one's birth or citizenship.

   Do I need to return to my country to apply for a student visa?

5. the country, 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.

6. any considerable territory demarcated by topographical conditions, by a distinctive population, etc..

   The mountainous country around here is beautiful.

   The book takes place in the Amish country of Pennsylvania.

7. land considered apart from any geographical or political limits.

   This urban population is packed into a relatively small patch of country.

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

9. country music.

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adjective

1. of, from, or characteristic of the country; rural.

   They lived on a winding country road.

2. of, relating to, or associated with country music.

   That Nashville station plays country records all day long.

3. rude; unpolished; rustic.

   He was scorned for his country manners.

4. of, from, or relating to a particular nation or area; national.

   Each team will display their country flag during the opening ceremony.

5. Obsolete. of one's own country.

idioms

1. go to the country, to dissolve a Parliament and call for an election after members have cast a majority vote expressing a lack of confidence in the prime minister and cabinet. Also appeal to the country.

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

country British  

/ ˈkʌntrɪ /

noun

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

2. an area of land distinguished by its political autonomy; state

3. the people of a territory or state

   the whole country rebelled

4. an area associated with a particular person

   Burns country

5. 1. the part of the land that is away from cities or industrial areas; rural districts

   2. ( as modifier )

      country cottage

   3. ( in combination )

      a countryman

6. short for country music

7. archaic a particular locality or district

8. away from the coast or the capital

9. one's native land or nation of citizenship

10. informal the outlying area or area furthest from the finish of a sports ground or racecourse

11. (modifier) rough; uncouth; rustic

    country manners

12. not keeping to roads, etc

13. to dissolve Parliament and hold an election

14. an unfamiliar topic, place, matter, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• intercountry
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• countries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of country

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English cuntree from Anglo-French, Old French from unrecorded Vulgar Latin (regiō) contrāta “(area) opposite,” from Latin contr(ā) counter ³ + -āta (feminine of -ātus -ate ¹ ); compare German Gegend “region,” derivative of gegen against

Explanation

A country is a nation, a body of land with one government. Also, rural areas outside cities and towns are called the country. There are many countries in the world: places that have a central government and a common identity. America was once just a bunch of colonies of England. It wasn't until they fought for independence from England that America became a country. Also, "the country" is any place that's away from cities and rural: the country has farms and open spaces. Country life is quieter than city life — except for the early morning roosters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

country countries

Brown's is no stranger to the country and hoped to raise £5,000 for three charities - MacMillan Cancer Support, St Luke's Hospice and Children's Hospice South West.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

In the era of NIL, she got an agent, signed a shoe deal, transferred to Sierra Canyon and became the No. 1 player in the country before signing with USC and becoming a national figure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

My wife and I plan to spend more time this year criss-crossing the country to be with them.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026

Nonetheless, enthusiasm for it has waned in recent months, according to Russian polling agencies, causing new political strains inside the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

And then we were in the country, the flat Dutch farmland stretching to the horizon, ruler-straight canals sweeping past the window.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Allied countries have also responded and in the past week carried out a planned air exercise near the Russian exclave, using U.S. and Norwegian fighter aircraft and Polish ground forces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Around 2,200 people from more than 70 countries work at the site in Leoben, a former iron mining centre of 28,000 people in the mountainous southern state of Styria.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

In hotter European countries such as France and Spain, local authorities have extreme heat guidelines that trigger timetable changes or school closures when conditions become too hot.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

The team had previously published research suggesting that people living in countries where multilingualism is common may age more slowly.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Troves of enslaved people from many African countries, including Ghana, were brought to the United States through this pier —confused, sick, and probably gripped with terror.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• community
• land
• people
• public
• region
• society
• state