landlocked

[ land-lokt ]

/ ˈlændˌlɒkt /

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adjective

shut in completely, or almost completely, by land: a landlocked bay.

having no direct access to the sea: a landlocked country.

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of landlocked

First recorded in 1615–25; land + lock¹ + -ed²

Words nearby landlocked

land lane, land legs, ländler, landless, landline, landlocked, landlocked salmon, landloper, landlord, landlordism, landlubber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use landlocked in a sentence

It is through Zaranj that India was building a regional transit network to landlocked Afghanistan.
Butterfly Effect: Why Taliban 2.0 Is More Dangerous|Charu Kasturi|August 12, 2021|Ozy
After months of driving across landlocked states, my paddling muscles were in pretty poor shape, so it was a struggle to get into those two-to-three-foot waves, but I managed to bag a few.
My Quest to Surf Every Coastal State|eriley|July 28, 2021|Outside Online
Although I am unfortunately landlocked, I can confirm its ability to withstand a few dunks in my bathtub, as well as dirt and debris from various park picnics.
JBL Charge 5 review: A rugged, portable Bluetooth speaker with battery to spare|Billy Cadden|June 15, 2021|Popular-Science
When Alex Almeida surveys his family farm in a rural corner of landlocked Paraguay, he sees mainly fields, punctuated by small houses with sheet-metal roofs and, in the distance, native lapacho trees blooming with bright yellow flowers.
The U.S. and China Are Battling for Influence in Latin America, and the Pandemic Has Raised the Stakes|Charlie Campell/Beijing|February 4, 2021|Time

In 1922, landlocked Switzerland became the first country to systematically iodize salt.
One man’s crusade to end a global scourge with better salt|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Flat, forested, and landlocked between Poland, Ukraine and Russia, it had never truly known national autonomy.
Forget Kim Jong Un—China’s New Favorite Dictator Is Belarus’s Aleksandr Lukashenko.|Kapil Komireddi|January 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unlike its famous neighbor Rwanda, the tiny landlocked country of Burundi is difficult to locate on a map.
Burundi’s Black Market Skull Trade|Margot Kiser|January 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An armada of sand crabs hefting a landlocked ship on their backs.
Hollywood's Nonsensical, Multibillion-Dollar Franchise|Chris Lee|May 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The name of the landlocked central Asian republic doesn't roll off the tongue.
The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks|John Avlon|February 19, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In a landlocked harbour such as Dartmouth very fierce squalls may come down if the wind rises suddenly.
The Story of the "Britannia"|E. P. Statham
Two weeks elapsed before all the vessels were safe within the landlocked sound.
The Naval History of the United States|Willis J. Abbot.
He began by dumping out into a worthless and landlocked bass-pond every brown trout in the hatchery.
The Firing Line|Robert W. Chambers
The little gulf of Stenia lies there landlocked, and out of it a boat appeared, skimming around the intervening promontory.
The Prince of India, Volume I|Lew. Wallace
We now turned short to the right and entered the beautiful harbor, which is perfectly landlocked and as still as a pond.
Death Valley in '49|William Lewis Manly

British Dictionary definitions for landlocked

landlocked

/ (ˈlændˌlɒkt) /

adjective

(of a country) completely surrounded by land

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012