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:
Open-sourcing is how a nation exports its stack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The letter to Chancellor John Healey does not specify a particular plan signatories would like to be reformed, nor does it name a particular nation.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The report estimated that rooftop installations had nearly doubled in the archipelago nation of 116 million since early 2025.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The riders work for the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, the first mosquito-control program in the nation to launch a bicycle brigade, according to Ary Faraji, the district’s executive director.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
With a laugh, he says, “Is everyone ready to go to the parade? We’re a modern independent nation now. Haven’t you heard? We must celebrate!”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
The couple then set up the charity Love Every Nation Athens to help other refugees.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Organised as a collaboration between Live Nation and ABU Recordings, the event has been billed as a platform to "honour Arabic music across all generations".
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Live Nation said that underlying demand trends remain strong, with sell-through rates across all types of U.S. large venues at or above prior-year levels for shows through the end of the latest quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Live Nation has also sought more growth abroad, amid signs of a slowdown in the U.S., after concerts roared back to life when pandemic restrictions lifted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Like he’s part of the Nation of Islam?”
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
If allied nations and American enterprises conclude that the vibrant, dependable open ecosystem is the Chinese one, they will build their sovereign AI infrastructure on it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
But Prof Johnes said such a comparison is misleading, because of varying methodologies across nations.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Pointing to a decade of work promoting football worldwide - and in particular his support of African nations - the federation stressed that the episode should not overshadow Infantino's wider record.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Pacific island nations are divided on whether deep-sea mining will deliver economic windfalls, or environmental catastrophe.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
TB programs in developing nations are generally underfunded, resulting in weak delivery systems for treatment and prevention.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
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.
