Greenland

American  

[green-luhnd, -land] / ˈgrin lənd, -ˌlænd /

noun

1. a self-governing island belonging to Denmark, located NE of North America: the largest island in the world. About 844,000 sq. mi. (2,186,000 sq. km); about 700,000 sq. mi. (1,800,000 sq. km) icecapped. Godthåb.

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Greenland British  

/ ˈɡriːnlənd /

noun

1. Danish name: Grønland.  Greenlandic name: Kalaallit Nunaat.  a large island, lying mostly within the Arctic Circle off the NE coast of North America: first settled by Icelanders in 986; resettled by Danes from 1721 onwards; integral part of Denmark (1953–79); granted internal autonomy 1979; mostly covered by an icecap up to 3300 m (11 000 ft) thick, with ice-free coastal strips and coastal mountains; the population is largely Inuit, with a European minority; fishing, hunting, and mining. Capital: Nuuk (Godthåb). Pop: 57 714 (2013 est). Area: 175 600 sq km (840 000 sq miles)

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Greenland Cultural  

1. Island lying largely within the Arctic Circle; owned by Denmark but governed locally since 1978. Its native name is Kaballit Nunaat.

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Discover More

Greenland is the largest island in the world. (Australia is larger but is officially a continent, not an island.)

Other Word Forms

• Greenlander noun
• Greenlandish adjective

Example Sentences

Other European leaders excluded him from group chats where they discussed how to handle Trump during a series of ructions in trans-Atlantic relations, from Ukraine to Greenland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Citing sources in the Danish government, it reported that soldiers, medical supplies and blood were flown into Greenland in January to blow up key airport runways over fears that Trump would invade the arctic island.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

"As far as Greenland is concerned, it's not a bad idea for her to stay on," he said.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Rasmussen, who also impressed Danes with his handling of the Greenland stand-off, has already voiced his ambition to take on the task of royal investigator - a key role in forging a governing coalition.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Greenland Supermarkets sacked Dad 'cause an expense account was £20 short.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell