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Synonyms

Canaan

American  
[key-nuhn] / ˈkeɪ nən /

noun

  1. an ancient region lying between the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, and the Mediterranean.

  2. Biblical name of Palestine.

  3. any land of promise.

  4. (in the Bible) a descendant of Ham, the son of Noah.

Canaan British  
/ ˈkeɪnən /

noun

  1. an ancient region between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean, corresponding roughly to Israel: the Promised Land of the Israelites

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Canaan

From the Hebrew word Kenaʿan

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.

In New Canaan, Conn., where Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House is located, two Manhattanites renovated a Midcentury Modern home with a lattice work facade and pyramid skylights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Canaan Palestine – Canaan Palestine’s extra-virgin olive oils are made from olives grown on ancient trees tended by more than 2,400 artisan family farms across 52 villages in Palestine, each carrying generations of knowledge.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

The book banned then was New English Canaan.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2025

Will Kimberly admit her feelings about Canaan after Whitney saw them kissing?

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 5, 2024

During the coach-ride back to Canaan, he several times moaned; but gave up even this paltry attempt at protest, and has since remained almost inert.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

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.