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.
A major flood threat remained from the storm as it headed northward and inland.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
The hurricane is expected to weaken as it moves inland Saturday, “but Isaias is expected to continue producing gusty winds well inland,” the National Weather Service said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
"The sea arch will eventually crumble into the sea. However, others will replace it as the cliff slowly migrates inland."
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
But the Rhine plays an outsized role, carrying around two-thirds of Germany's inland waterway freight, said Puls.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
I was going slowly along one of the tunnels made by hippos, through the thick undergrowth where they move inland to graze at night, when I heard something moving toward me.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
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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.