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landslide

[ land-slahyd ]
/ ˈlændˌslaɪd /
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noun Also called, especially British, land·slip [land-slip] /ˈlændˌslɪp/ (for defs. 1, 2).
the downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, detritus, or rock on or from a steep slope.
the mass itself.
an election in which a particular victorious candidate or party receives an overwhelming mass or majority of votes: the 1936 landslide for Roosevelt.
any overwhelming victory: She won the contest by a landslide.
verb (used without object), land·slid, land·slid or land·slid·den, land·slid·ing.
to come down in or as in a landslide.
to win an election by an overwhelming majority.
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Origin of landslide

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH landslide

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

How to use landslide in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for landslide

landslide
/ (ˈlændˌslaɪd) /

noun
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
  1. an overwhelming electoral victory
  2. (as modifier)a landslide win
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

Scientific definitions for landslide

landslide
[ lăndslīd′ ]

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.
The mass of soil and rock that moves in this way.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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