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

The US championship is on a larger scale, with 20 events across the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The European Commission told AFP that "the fight against corruption is a key element for a country to be able to join the EU" after praising Albania's "tangible progress" in a report last year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The country singer also asked fans to donate to the Young Center for Immigrant Rights, which helps children whose parents have faced deportations, during the opening night of her tour in Chicago back in August.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

In 2020, the constitutional court ruled that noncitizens abroad enjoyed the same fundamental rights protecting them from covert surveillance as German citizens, drastically limiting the agency’s ability to clandestinely collect signal data outside the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

When Joan of Arc was born in France in 1412, her country had been fighting England for seventy-five years.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

As in other European countries, housing has long been a top public concern, particularly for young adults who are priced out of the market and stay with their parents into their 30s and beyond.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

The BBC’s Tessa Wong is there and breaks down how the wildfire smoke is impacting countries around South East Asia.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

More than 1,200 crew members from banned countries including Syria, Lebanon and Oman have flown into Israel since the start of the year, a person familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

The conclusions were made after committee members heard from doctors, advocates and experts from countries that do allow assisted dying for people solely with mental illness, like the Netherlands and Belgium.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Twenty-one players from a dozen countries had qualified to play in this march, toward an opportunity to earn a place at the next plateau.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

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