playland

American  

[pley-land] / ˈpleɪˌlænd /

noun

1. an area used for recreation or amusement; playground or amusement park.

2. a town or city that relies heavily on its tourist trade to bolster its economy.

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Etymology

Origin of playland

First recorded in 1945–50; play + -land

Example Sentences

An internet archive shows in 2018 the "about" section of the site read, "America's Last Line of Defense is a whimsical playland of conservative satire" and "Everything on this website is fiction."

From Salon • Oct. 3, 2023

To do away with crime, corruption and homelessness and clean up the streets — just like he did in his idealized playland.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2022

“My relationship with Mom became so bitter it turned the playland into a cage,” he wrote in the Times.

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2016

Once thought of by Americans as just a naughty playland, the divide between the United States and Mexico is now most associated with the awful things that happen here.

From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2010

Just as the sun rose over the languid beaches in the crook of the elbow-shaped playland of Cape Cod, early-morning strollers were astonished by surprise visitors.

From Time Magazine Archive