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:
Piah referenced how Liberia had been founded as a nation in the early 19th Century as a settlement for former slaves and freed black people from the United States and the Caribbean.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
One 16-year-old who declined to give his name said he was from the West African nation of Guinea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Federal law protects “historic buildings, parks, and places, including perhaps the most revered site in our nation: the White House and President’s Park,” the group told the court Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
He expressed frustration with a perceived lag in the arrival of aid while the nation celebrated Independence Day with pomp and ceremony in the capital Jakarta.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
“We can’t send the last functioning Glitchers our nation has back to the past to hunt for explosives,” he said.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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
When a wildfire broke out near his First Nation community in northern Ontario, Hubert Wigwas decided to stay put.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
And in 2018, one wing of the Nation Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro burned down with the loss of many fossil specimens that were on display.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
"My Administration has guarded against the risks posed by malign foreign actors who attempt to swindle American citizens by taking advantage of the generosity of our Nation," the first executive order says.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
He banned screenings of the racist film The Birth of a Nation and trumpeted black heroes like the boxer Jack Johnson.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
But the nations have so far released no official details on how U.S. tariffs will change under the agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Meanwhile, the market may also be becoming more concerned about the high budget deficits of many developed nations, which may need to be serviced by increased supply of debt.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Even today, it is generating faster growth than most other nations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
But within the Church, the establishment of the fund has encountered resistance, just as the global push for nations to pay reparations has done.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Today they speak back, as individuals and as sovereign nations, against ongoing trauma and the consequences of conquest and terminal narratives.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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.
