nation
noun
a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own.
nation
1 American
[ney-shuhn]
/ ˈneɪ ʃən /
noun
-
nations
plural
-
a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own.
The president spoke to the nation about the new tax.
-
the territory or country itself.
the nations of Central America.
- Synonyms:
- realm, kingdom, commonwealth, state
-
a member tribe of an American Indian confederation.
-
an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family, often speaking the same language or cognate languages.
Nation
2
American
[ney-shuhn]
/ ˈneɪ ʃən /
noun
nation
British
/ ˈneɪʃən /
noun
-
an aggregation of people or peoples of one or more cultures, races, etc, organized into a single state
the Australian nation
-
a community of persons not constituting a state but bound by common descent, language, history, etc
the French-Canadian nation
-
-
a federation of tribes, esp American Indians
-
the territory occupied by such a federation
-
Synonym Usage
See race 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of nation
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin nātiōn- (stem of nātiō ) “birth, tribe,” equivalent to nāt(us) (past participle of nāscī “to be born”) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
A nation is a country and its people. It's also the word used for the Native American tribal federations in the US — the Cherokee Nation, for instance — which have their own governments and territories. Nation comes from the Latin root nat-, which means "born" — the neonatal unit in a hospital is where the newborn babies are cared for. You can also use nation more loosely for ethnic or religious groups: you might speak of "the Jewish nation," meaning not just the country, or nation, of Israel, but Jews all over the world. The Nation of Islam is an African-American Muslim group.
Vocabulary lists containing nation
Human Geography - Middle School
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Michelle Obama's Speech at the 2016 DNC
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Human 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:
"We will not allow any nation to determine our future," he said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
As the rest of the nation has experienced large boom-and-bust cycles and now faces a persistent housing-affordability crisis, home prices in certain Midwestern cities have been mostly flat for more than a century.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
They were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation just like Friday’s matchup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
It demeans the entire nation, and adds to the instability in the world.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
Meanwhile, in the USSR—which, thanks to the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, wasn't under attack—young women across the nation were continuing their state-sponsored flight training and flight instruction as though nothing had changed.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
“The story here is that investors are looking for long-term safety as government debt across the developed world continues to grow,” Trade Nation said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The album is her first under a new management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, and a relocation to New York.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Merch Traffic, owned by Live Nation, filed a lawsuit against counterfeiters in April, accusing them of undercutting Bruce Springsteen’s products with knockoff T-shirts and caps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Leaders of Gull Bay First Nation, also known as Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek, have been urging residents to stay away since mid-July as more than 150 wildfires burn across Ontario's northwest.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Sure, it’s all Cherokee Nation, but that’s an hour and a half to two hours away from Trey, if you drive, which I don’t.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The two nations have exchanged tariffs for months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
The original four nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - later became the Brics when they were joined by South Africa.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
Girls continue to outperform boys, but the gap between boys' and girls' pass rates across all three nations has narrowed again to its lowest on record.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
But Thailand is among a band of neighbouring nations, sharing unavoidable border issues with Myanmar, which have used the polls as a cue to reset relations.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Austria-Hungary would be split up into several smaller nations, putting an end to the Hapsburg Empire.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
