inland
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or situated in the interior part of a country or region.
inland cities.
-
British. domestic or internal.
inland revenue.
adverb
noun
adjective
-
of, concerning, or located in the interior of a country or region away from a sea or border
-
operating within a country or region; domestic; not foreign
noun
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inland
Explanation
Inland means far away from the ocean, or in the very middle of a country. If you were born and grew up in Kansas, you're familiar with inland living. The opposite of inland is coastal. When you travel to the rocky coast of Maine or the soft sandy beaches of Florida, you're far from being inland — you return to your inland home town when you fly back to Gary, Indiana. Inland comes from the Old English inn lond, "land around the mansion of an estate," and it began to mean "land far from the coast" in the 16th century.
Vocabulary lists containing inland
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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.
Some inland areas at higher elevations, however, experienced localized increases in groundwater storage.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
The city plans to move 600 feet of roadway farther inland next year to improve safety and reduce the effects of future erosion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
A stream of people could be seen moving inland on motorbikes after authorities issued a tsunami warning.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Water levels on the Rhine have dropped even further this week, and Germany's inland shipping association has warned that the waterway could become unnavigable in places.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Some miles farther on, they took a road running inland, away from the sea.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
