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:
Freebies for McHale’s April event included a private jet and a villa in St. Barts from Swan Beauty, a company that sells an AI smart mirror.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
He also recommends the capital's parks - villa Borghese, villa Adriana, Parque de Acquedotti - for shade, and visiting the underground Catacombs of San Sebastian and San Callisto.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
George also owns an estate in England, a villa in Italy on Lake Como, and a property located next to his family in Kentucky.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The finale of the third All Stars version, which sees ex-islanders return to the villa, attracted about 910,000 viewers earlier this year.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
She was not in the garden and I went to the side door of the villa where the ambulances drove up.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
United targeted the Cameroon international this week after deciding to strengthen their midfield further following the earlier arrivals of Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
As a young woman in the 1920s, she disguised herself as a man and worked on a local archaeological dig at the Roman Villa Casale until she was ratted out and sent packing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lucas Digne was sold to Paris St-Germain and Villa must also find a solution for goalkeeper Emi Martinez after his failed move to Juventus and the signing of his replacement - Zion Suzuki.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Now the writer and her daughter hatch a plan to return the artifact to the Villa Casale site.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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
George reportedly purchased two adjacent villas in Lake Como in the early 2000s.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The Kushner-tied Albanian real-estate project calls for a swath of hotels, villas and other development on a striking spit of beach in the village of Zvërnec.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump announced plans to construct luxury hotels and villas in Albania back in 2024.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
They stay in hotels on the beach and villas in the surrounding countryside, and walk through the small shops and restaurants, looking for parties where they can network and be seen.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
Beyond the marble amphitheater, in darkness and distances, lay little towns and villas; pools of silver water stood motionless and canals glittered from horizon to horizon.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
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.
