highland
noun
an elevated region; plateau.
highland
1 American
[hahy-luhnd]
/ ˈhaɪ lənd /
Highland
2
American
[hahy-luhnd]
/ ˈhaɪ lənd /
noun
-
a region in N Scotland, including a number of the Inner Hebrides. 9,710 sq. mi. (25,148 sq. km).
-
a city in NW Indiana, near Chicago.
-
British. West Highland.
Highland
1
British
/ ˈhaɪlənd /
noun
-
a council area in N Scotland, formed in 1975 (as Highland Region) from Caithness, Sutherland, Nairnshire, most of Inverness-shire, and Ross and Cromarty except for the Outer Hebrides. Administrative centre: Inverness. Pop: 209 080 (2003 est). Area: 25 149 sq km (9710 sq miles)
-
(modifier) of, relating to, or denoting the Highlands of Scotland
highland
2
British
/ ˈhaɪlənd /
noun
-
relatively high ground
-
(modifier) of or relating to a highland
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of highland
before 1000; Middle English; Old English hēahlond. See high, land
Vocabulary lists containing highland
The United States
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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:
Despite that short evolutionary history, the plants have adapted to remarkably different habitats across the islands, including humid highland forests and hot, dry lowlands.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
Interestingly, the same gene has experienced strong positive selection in central African rainforest hunter-gatherers and in highland populations of Ecuador.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 14, 2026
Whole city blocks were inundated this week in coastal Nha Trang, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.
From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025
For example the German highland region of Spessart, in Bavaria and Hesse, is shifting its focus to year-round tourism by developing new trails and promoting activities such as hiking, biking and wellness.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2025
Many highland villages do have someone known as the “big-man,” the most influential man of the village.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Chinese plan to invest in a Highland yard blocked?
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The lights were dark in the re-created Beverly Hills home; the rest of the crew was on location filming in Highland Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
As student enrollment sinks and schools struggle to keep up with costs, a pattern plays out, says Doug Moore, founder of Highland Group, a firm that specializes in closing failed colleges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
So it makes sense that now, as a wellness writer, I became intrigued by Body Dada, a barre fitness studio with locations in Highland Park and Silver Lake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
A dispatch rider from the Highland Light Infantry came by on a Harley-Davidson.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
His background as an expert on South America adds color and authenticity to his narrative, offering rich descriptions of the land, flora and fauna of the Peruvian-Chilean coastline and highlands as backdrop to Miller’s adventures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
A flatbed truck carrying a tank rolled through the highlands, making its way through fields of blossoming pink almond trees and yellow wildflowers.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
However, growing large amounts of maize in the highlands was difficult, and the Inca did not have seafaring technology.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026
These scarps are common in the lunar highlands and formed within the last billion years, about the most recent 20% of the Moon's history.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 18, 2026
But the highlands, already occupied by dense populations of New Guineans, were not reached by Europeans until the 1930s.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
