landslide

[land-slahyd]

noun

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.

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

/ 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

landslide

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of landslide¹

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

Example Sentences

Even when presidents are elected by a landslide, a large share of the people vote against them, and the opposition party in Congress speaks for this minority more than the president usually does.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Torrential rains battered several Mexican states over several days last week, turning village streets into rivers, triggering landslides and sweeping away roads and bridges.

Read more on Barron's

The heavy rains, caused by two tropical storms, triggered landslides and caused rivers to overflow, sweeping away entire homes as well as roads and cars.

Read more on BBC

To do so, he planned to target the homes of the residents suing him over a landslide on the property, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal found.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“On my very first day in Congress, I’ll sign the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files,” Grijalva said on the eve of her landslide election.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• avalanche 
• mudslide