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• peninsula
  peninsula

  noun

  an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.
• Peninsula
  Peninsula

  noun

  short for the Iberian Peninsula

peninsula

American  

[puh-nin-suh-luh, -nins-yuh-luh] / pəˈnɪn sə lə, -ˈnɪns jə lə /

noun

• peninsulas
  plural

1. an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.

2. the Peninsula,

   1. Spain and Portugal together; Iberian Peninsula; Iberia.

   2. a district in SE Virginia between the York and James rivers: Civil War battles.

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peninsula ¹ British  

/ pɪˈnɪnsjʊlə /

noun

1. a narrow strip of land projecting into a sea or lake from the mainland

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Peninsula ² British  

noun

1. short for the Iberian Peninsula

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peninsula Scientific  

/ pə-nĭn′syə-lə /

1. A piece of land that projects into a body of water and is connected with a larger landmass.

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peninsula Cultural  

1. A body of land enclosed on three sides by water, jutting out from a larger body of land.

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Usage

The noun peninsula is sometimes confused with the adjective peninsular: the Iberian peninsula (not peninsular )

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• peninsularism
  noun
• peninsularity
  noun
• peninsular
  adjective
• transpeninsular
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• peninsulas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of peninsula

1530–40; < Latin paenīnsula, equivalent to paen- pen- + īnsula island

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Explanation

Part of Italy is a peninsula, and it's a pretty famous one, because it looks like a boot. A peninsula juts into the water but has at least a narrow a connection to land. If the boot broke off from Italy just below the "knee," it would be an island. The word peninsula, which entered English in the 16th century, comes from the Latin words paene, "almost," and insula, "island." Some confuse an island with a peninsula because both are surrounded by so much water, but a peninsula is connected to a mainland at some point, while an island is completely encircled by water. In most cases, a peninsula is narrow and long, resembling an arm or leg.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peninsula Peninsula peninsulas

Lubinets and his Russian counterpart Yana Lantratova travelled to Oleshky together on Friday, setting off from Armiansk, in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

But the 37-year peninsula resident said he was worried about what was to come in the months ahead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Another user, posting under the handle ireozima_zebal, described the experience as "horrifying" because of its implications for a potential conflict on the Korean peninsula.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

On the opposite side of the peninsula, the dark waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea surround Sardinia and Sicily.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026

He was still asleep when the boat butted against the rocks of the sphinxes’ peninsula.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

The Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1903 traveled to the region to investigate the geography, geology, climate, and wildlife of the eastern Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding areas.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

A separate check by financial-news outlet Yicai found a luxury suite at Beijing’s Peninsula Hotel listed for 2,915 yuan through Doubao, versus 2,624 yuan on Trip.com and 2,332 yuan quoted directly by the hotel.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

For support, Weinstein brandished a photograph of the two of them taken in 1997 during the Oscar party his company Miramax hosted at Beverly Hills’ Peninsula Hotel.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026

The Balboa Peninsula and islands within Newport Harbor are of particular concern, Newport Beach City Manager Seimone Jurjis said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

They tell him he has not been traveling south but west and is headed for the center of the Baja Peninsula.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

At that time, the modern islands and peninsulas of Ayvalık would have formed a single stretch of land, creating a natural bridge that linked Anatolia to Europe.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2025

There are vast areas around Eureka, next to Humboldt Bay, where there are long, skinny peninsulas that could make an evacuation challenging.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025

Racers run across islands and peninsulas, on singletrack trails, roads and rocks, with swimming sections breaking up the running portions.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

Calmac, which is wholly owned by Scottish ministers, provides ferry services to the 22 islands and four peninsulas on the Clyde and Hebrides.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2023

Europe has a highly indented coastline, with five large peninsulas that approach islands in their isolation, and all of which evolved independent languages, ethnic groups, and governments: Greece, Italy, Iberia, Denmark, and Norway/Sweden.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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