villa
noun
a country residence or estate.
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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:
Berry tells Cash he was driven to a government-owned villa in a grand compound.
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2026
Foxx purchased the 7,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa in Hidden Valley for $10.5-million in 2007.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
Nearby, the 1930s modernist villa of Hungarian opera singer Rózsi Walter was restored and reopened in 2022 as an architecture museum, with an emphasis on the legacy of Hungarian-American architect and designer Marcel Breuer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Heavy rainfall in the nearby province of Sakarya caused a two-storey villa on the banks of a stream to collapse in Sapanca neighbourhood.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Emblematically, Wayna Qhapaq could not construct his own villa on Awkaypata—his undead ancestors had used up all the available space.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox celebrated Dorgu's stoppage-time equaliser against Villa in the directors' box.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
While fierce rivals Aston Villa were playing - and beating - Bayern Munich and Bologna in the Champions League two years ago, Birmingham were losing at Shrewsbury and drawing with Northampton Town.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
The former scored his first goal in the Villa thriller.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
Around 200 guests were forced to leave the ship last month in the Cambodian port city of Sihanoukville, after its owner Villa Vie Residences abruptly suspended operations citing "extraordinary increases in fuel costs".
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
Smiling like Pancho Villa, Joe looked right through her; he didn’t even arch his eyebrows; he said not a word.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
An unlocked access gate linked the yard around villas to a bamboo forest, making it possible for the prisoners to enter and exit at will.
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
“The way they finance it, and make it make sense financially, is if it’s villas that are super luxurious and very high-priced,” Muci said.
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
Beyond was Galle town, with its narrow, cobbled streets and orange-roofed villas packed close together.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
