landlocked

American  

[land-lokt] / ˈlændˌlɒkt /

adjective

1. shut in completely, or almost completely, by land.

   a landlocked bay.

2. having no direct access to the sea.

   a landlocked country.

3. living in waters shut off from the sea, as some fish.

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landlocked British  

/ ˈlændˌlɒkt /

adjective

1. (of a country) completely surrounded by land

2. (esp of lakes) completely or almost completely surrounded by land

3. (esp of certain salmon) living in fresh water that is permanently isolated from the sea

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Etymology

Origin of landlocked

First recorded in 1615–25; land + lock ¹ + -ed ²

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.

Example Sentences

Lai’s chartered plane would be unable to fly directly to landlocked Eswatini, the sole African nation in Taipei’s small collection of 12 diplomatic allies.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

How we understand that convergence of interests, in a remote and landlocked Eastern European country that most Americans couldn’t find on the map with multiple guesses, is quite another matter.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Kenya considers the railway extension crucial for strengthening trade through east and central Africa, hoping to reach landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

A deal under negotiation with Ethiopia, a landlocked neighbour with more than 130 million inhabitants, could see traffic rise by another 80 percent, said port authority director Ali Diriye Ahmed.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

“And not from Kojo. His grandfather came to America from Zimbabwe, a landlocked country in southern Africa that’s bordered by South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein