villa
noun
a country residence or estate.
villa
1 American
[vil-uh]
/ ˈvɪl ə /
noun
-
villas
plural
-
a country residence or estate.
-
any imposing or pretentious residence, especially one in the country or suburbs maintained as a retreat by a wealthy person.
-
British. a detached or semidetached dwelling house, usually suburban.
Villa
2
American
[vee-uh, vee-yah]
/ ˈvi ə, ˈvi jɑ /
noun
villa
1
British
/ ˈvɪlə /
noun
-
(in ancient Rome) a country house, usually consisting of farm buildings and residential quarters around a courtyard
-
a large and usually luxurious country residence
-
a detached or semidetached suburban house
-
a medium-sized suburban house standing in its own grounds
Villa
2
British
/ ˈviːə, ˈbiʎa /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of villa
1605–15; (< Italian ) < Latin vīlla a country house, farm, akin to vīcus village, wick 3
Explanation
If you don't want to sound like a snob, don't describe your family's house in the country as a villa. A villa is a fancy vacation home. Calling your weekend country house a villa will inevitably sound like you're showing off. Still, the word has been around ever since ancient Roman times to mean "country house for the elite." In Italian, villa means "country house or farm." Most villas include a large amount of land and often barns, garages, or other outbuildings as well.
Vocabulary lists containing villa
Ancient Rome - Introductory
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Ancient Rome - Middle School and High School
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The Roman Republic, Lessons 3–4
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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.
See Examples For:
The “potential” of this Albanian island, called Sazan, is to become a luxury villa resort, and Trump has embarked upon this real estate project with her husband, Jared Kushner.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
KYIV, Ukraine—Every few weeks, Svitlana Dvornikova leaves her home near the front line in Ukraine and travels to a rented luxury villa on the Mediterranean coast of France or Spain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
At the scene of the second strike, an AFP correspondent saw the ruins of a devastated villa, with large decorative columns laying on their side next to stairs littered with rubble.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
He later outfitted his island escape with a Balinese-style villa and bungalows, creating a private getaway worthy of a Hollywood mogul.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
A worker lent her his horse and she rode at a breakneck pace back to the villa.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Nearby, the ultra-private Villa Maçakizi feels more like a manor home than a hotel, with 10 bedrooms and an infinity pool overlooking the bay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
"The biggest mistake I witnessed in my career," said Villa boss Unai Emery at the time.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Chandler was already a Whitley Bay hero when he was appointed manager by chairman Paul McIlduff, having scored the winner in the 2002 FA Vase final against Tiptree United at Villa Park.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Manzambi scored on his full Villa debut to help secure a first Premier League win of the season and now faces Scotland with Switzerland in the Nations League on Tuesday looking to continue his progression.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
But my young mind was filled with self, and my imagination shivered at the prospect of seeing sombreros, rancheros, tortillas and Pancho Villa.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Indonesian authorities raided a prison outside Jakarta Wednesday where inmates have allegedly been paying to live in luxury, emptying several "villas" of furniture, bottles of alcohol and at least one big-screen TV.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
A five-tier funfetti cake had been airlifted in from Florida, and helicopters and seaplanes descended on the islands before guests settled into their oceanfront villas.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
“We’ve had Palase Green Coast, which turned natural landscape into villas and hotels, which produced nothing but waste and ugliness.”
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Plans for the property have included resort bungalows and private estate villas, as well as environmentally focused features such as solar power.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
On either side of the street rose two-story' villas with flowering balconies and high, armored walls.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
