mainland

¹ American  

[meyn-land, -luhnd] / ˈmeɪnˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

1. the principal land of a country, region, etc., as distinguished from adjacent islands or a peninsula.

   the mainland of Greece.

2. any part of or all of the continental United States or conterminous United States, especially from the perspective of someone in a geographically detached U.S. state or territory, such as Hawaii or Guam.

   I’m not sure where on the mainland Jasmine went to college, but it may have been Milwaukee.

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Mainland ² American  

[meyn-land, -luhnd] / ˈmeɪnˌlænd, -lənd /

noun

1. the largest of the Shetland Islands. About 200 sq. mi. (520 sq. km).

2. Pomona.

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Mainland ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪnlənd /

noun

1. an island off N Scotland: the largest of the Shetland Islands. Chief town: Lerwick. Pop: 17 550 (2001). Area: about 583 sq km (225 sq miles)

2. Also called: Pomona.  an island off N Scotland: the largest of the Orkney Islands. Chief town: Kirkwall. Pop: 15 315 (2001). Area: 492 sq km (190 sq miles)

3. a South Islanders' name for South Island

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mainland ² British  

/ ˈmeɪnlənd /

noun

1. the main part of a land mass as opposed to an island or peninsula

2. a particular landmass as viewed from a nearby island with which it has close links, such as Great Britain as viewed from Northern Ireland or continental Australia as viewed from Tasmania

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Other Word Forms

• mainlander noun

Etymology

Origin of mainland

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English; main ¹, land

Example Sentences

Historical weather data shows decent odds of clear skies over mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kharg Island, just 16 miles from the mainland, would require robust air defenses, likely including interceptor-equipped destroyers or sustained air cover.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kharg experienced major development during Iran's oil boom in the 1960s and 1970s because much of the coastline on the mainland was too shallow to accommodate supertankers.

From Barron's

The startup is now considering dismantling that holding structure with the goal of listing an entity registered either on the Chinese mainland or in Hong Kong, people familiar with the situation said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The two allegedly sent goods from the US to shipping firms in Malaysia and Singapore between 2022 and 2025, before diverting them to companies based in Hong Kong and mainland China.

From BBC

Related Words

• continent