an area between opposing armies, over which no control has been established.
an unowned or unclaimed tract of usually barren land.
an indefinite or ambiguous area where guidelines and authority are not clear.
a no man's land between acceptance and rejection.
(in tennis, handball, etc.) the area of a court in which a player is at a tactical disadvantage, as the area of a tennis court about midway between the net and the base line.
land between boundaries, esp an unoccupied zone between opposing forces
an unowned or unclaimed piece of land
an ambiguous area of activity or thought
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Vlasic then drove the knife in deeper still 20 minutes from time with a cushioned volley to beat goalkeeper Mathias Lamhauge, who had strayed into no man's land.
From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025
On crude, “we are also still in no man’s land regarding the glut,” Neil Crosby of Sparta Commodities says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
The area between the two bunkers is referred to as the "front line", "buffer zone" or "no man's land".
From BBC • Sep. 19, 2023
In an interview with The Associated Press Wednesday, Kamel Fekih said that while there is no “collective” expulsion of migrants, small groups trying to enter Tunisia are pushed back into the desert no man’s land.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 3, 2023
Out beyond the frontline trenches, no man’s land separating the opposing armies might be anywhere from a mile or more across to barely twenty-five yards wide.
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.
