landlocked
Americanadjective
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shut in completely, or almost completely, by land.
a landlocked bay.
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having no direct access to the sea.
a landlocked country.
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living in waters shut off from the sea, as some fish.
adjective
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(of a country) completely surrounded by land
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(esp of lakes) completely or almost completely surrounded by land
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(esp of certain salmon) living in fresh water that is permanently isolated from the sea
Etymology
Origin of landlocked
Explanation
Something that's landlocked is completely surrounded by land, rather than by bodies of water. Oklahoma City is landlocked, but San Francisco isn't. There are many landlocked cities in the world, and if you live in one of them but miss the time you once spent on an island in Maine, you may feel landlocked yourself. There are only 42 truly landlocked countries in the world, whose borders don't touch open ocean. Historically, most of these landlocked countries have struggled economically, since access to ocean shipping makes it easier to export goods.
Vocabulary lists containing landlocked
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Political Geography - Middle School
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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.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz was swept to power last year, shunting aside nearly a generation of socialist rule in this landlocked country and winning friends in the Trump administration for his pro-market views.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Mali is a landlocked country and depends heavily on fuel transported from neighbouring coastal countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Imagine embarking on an international cruise vacation and ending up landlocked in the middle of America.
From Slate • May 14, 2026
Imposed since April 30, the jihadist blockade was on Wednesday still causing chaos on essential roads towards Bamako, the capital of a landlocked country dependent on imports by trucks.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Afghanistan was landlocked, with the nearest coast lying along the Arabian Sea three hundred miles to the south.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
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.
