landslide

American  

[land-slahyd] / ˈlændˌslaɪd /

noun

• landslides
  plural

1. the downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, detritus, or rock on or from a steep slope.

2. the mass itself.

3. an election in which a particular victorious candidate or party receives an overwhelming mass or majority of votes.

   the 1936 landslide for Roosevelt.

4. any overwhelming victory.

   She won the contest by a landslide.

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verb (used without object)

landslid, landslid, landslidden, landsliding

1. to come down in or as in a landslide.

2. to win an election by an overwhelming majority.

landslide British  

/ ˈlændˌslaɪd /

noun

1. Also called: landslip. 

   1. the sliding of a large mass of rock material, soil, etc, down the side of a mountain or cliff

   2. the material dislodged in this way

2. 1. an overwhelming electoral victory

   2. ( as modifier )

      a landslide win

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landslide Scientific  

/ lănd′slīd′ /

1. The rapid downward sliding of a mass of earth and rock. Landslides usually move over a confined area. Many kinds of events can trigger a landslide, such as the oversteepening of slopes by erosion associated with rivers, glaciers, or ocean waves; heavy snowmelt which saturates soil and rock; or earthquakes that lead to the failure of weak slopes.

2. The mass of soil and rock that moves in this way.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• landslides
  plural

Etymology

Origin of landslide

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; land + slide

Explanation

When dirt and rock from a mountainside are sliding down, call it a landslide. Another kind of landslide takes place when one candidate soundly defeats another in an election. With either type of landslide, it's probably safest to stay out of the way! The political meaning of landslide is commonly used, but it's not the word's original definition. A geographical landslide occurs when a huge amount of earth slides down a slope or mountain, usually displacing rocks and vegetation and often houses and buildings as well. Landslides are caused by erosion, heavy rain, and earthquakes, among other events, and they're disruptive enough to give rise to the figurative meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

landslide landslides landsliding

The resulting landslide and tsunami caused eight deaths, according to a reconstruction published in Natural Hazards.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

A landslide struck a car park on Japan's Mount Fuji, with the final day of the volcano's summer climbing season on Thursday marred by downpours and dense mist.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Preliminary calculations based on the seismic signal the landslide produced indicate that the ice-and-rock avalanche in Nepal was likely 10 times the volume of the one in Blatten, said Schwanghart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Preliminary information suggested it was caused by an earthquake, but the US Geological Survey said additional analysis indicated "the seismic energy was instead generated by a landslide".

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

If he blew it, which was more than likely, that three-vote margin over Pancho Armijo every two years could dissolve into a landslide victory for his opponent.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Of particular interest were deposits called turbidites, which can form when underwater landslides send large amounts of sediment rushing downhill.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026

After thousands of passes over the Moon, researchers have assembled maps precise enough to identify new craters, landslides, spacecraft landers, seismic faults, and possible signs of lava tubes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

Parts of the country, along with Ecuador and parts of Brazil, have previously experienced increased rainfall, resulting in flash flooding and landslides, particularly in urban centres where the water is less able to drain away.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Should there be heavy rainfall in the mountains, that poses a serious threat of flash floods, landslides and debris flow, according to Swain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

He was a civil engineer and a geologist, with a special interest in landslides.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

“Even a moderate earthquake could cause a local-source tsunami from submarine landsliding in Monterey Bay,” public documents say.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2025

“The weaker alluvial sediments can amplify shaking, and mountains are vulnerable to landsliding, including along the roads that lead to mountain villages.”

From National Geographic ● Sep. 11, 2023

"When the glaciers melted the sediment was no longer supported by the ice margins, so in places it can be susceptible to landsliding."

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2020

Says Norge President Judson S. Sayre: "The way orders are landsliding, we could be sold out for the year by October 15."

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• avalanche
• mudslide