terrain

American  

[tuh-rayn] / təˈreɪn /

noun

• terrains
  plural

1. 

   a tract of land, especially as considered with reference to its natural features, military advantages, etc.

2. Geology. terrane.

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terrain British  

/ təˈreɪn, ˈtɛreɪn /

noun

1. ground or a piece of ground, esp with reference to its physical character or military potential

   radio reception can be difficult in mountainous terrain

   a rocky terrain

2. a variant spelling of terrane

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• terrains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of terrain

1720–30; < French ≪ Vulgar Latin *terrānum, noun use of neuter of *terrānus of land. See terra, -an

Explanation

An ATV, or all-terrain vehicle, is useful for people who drive on lots of different terrain, hence the name. Terrain is a noun used to talk about the ground, when you're specifically interested in how it appears or is shaped. In times of war, you'll often hear the term "hostile terrain" used to describe a region with lots of mountains, vast stretches of desert, or impenetrable jungles. These are all areas of difficult terrain that are hard to pass. Much of humankind's history can be traced by its effort to alter the terrain. We've made mountains into meadows, rivers into lakes, and prairies into roads, all to make the terrain more livable for us. You could even go so far as to say that a person's psyche is mysterious terrain.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

terrain terrains

Command inspection, which had sought to investigate mysterious terrain changes inside the DMZ.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

About 78% of the terrain now under conservation is federal land, including national parks and national forests.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

Relations between the parties were already in tough terrain, but this unexpected bump in the road over parading has steered things further off course.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Much of Nepal's hydropower infrastructure lies along steep river valleys fed by glaciers -- terrain exposed to floods, landslides and cascading geological hazards.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

“You know all the local terrain, and you’re clearly brave enough. What do you say?”

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

"These resources can access remote and rugged terrains, dropping water and fire retardant directly on the fire's critical areas, something that ground forces might struggle with in vast and challenging landscapes like Rhinogydd," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The U.S. has a diverse range of terrains across its 3.8 million square miles, including the desert in the Southwest.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

Drones struggle to count items that are covered or hiding, such as cattle in mountainous terrains, and are largely ineffective indoors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

"A large variety of geological terrains exists, which have been formed by many different processes. As a result, Greenland has several types of metals, minerals and gemstones," it says in a document on its website.

From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026

On top of that, they had selected one of the most nearly impossible terrains on Earth.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• area
• contour
• field
• ground
• land
• province
• region
• soil
• territory
• topography
• turf