landslide
Americannoun
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landslides
plural
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the downward falling or sliding of a mass of soil, detritus, or rock on or from a steep slope.
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the mass itself.
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an election in which a particular victorious candidate or party receives an overwhelming mass or majority of votes.
the 1936 landslide for Roosevelt.
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any overwhelming victory.
She won the contest by a landslide.
verb (used without object)
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to come down in or as in a landslide.
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to win an election by an overwhelming majority.
noun
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Also called: landslip.
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the sliding of a large mass of rock material, soil, etc, down the side of a mountain or cliff
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the material dislodged in this way
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an overwhelming electoral victory
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( as modifier )
a landslide win
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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.
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The mass of soil and rock that moves in this way.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of landslide
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.
Vocabulary lists containing landslide
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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Physical Geography - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A 2024 study published by the American Geophysical Union projected a significant rise in landslide hazards across the Himalayas and Tibet in the coming decades due to increased rainstorms.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had to step down just over two years after his July 2024 landslide election victory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Bills made it through the first two weeks without committing a turnover, then survived a landslide Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
The resulting landslide and tsunami caused eight deaths, according to a reconstruction published in Natural Hazards.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026
He ran ahead of the Federalist candidates for Congress, who were swept from office in a Republican landslide.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
"Considerable flash flooding and landslides are also possible across the Southern Appalachians," it warned in a briefing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
Sections of railway in coastal Orange County have repeatedly shut down for landslides, coastal erosion and rockfalls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, trekking guide Tse Ring Doma said she and her group had to cross 28 landslides.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Another wave of landslides and heavy rain have killed about 30 people in Nepal, as the Himalayan nation reels from August's catastrophic flooding that left 1,400 dead and thousands more missing.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
The first landslides and Spirit Lake Fifteen seconds after the earthquake, the bulge on the north face of Mount St. Helens broke loose and began to slide down the mountain.
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
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