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:
The property has been reported to feature a Portuguese Colonial-style villa with a large party room, along with watchtowers and 12 cannons that give the retreat a decidedly fortresslike appearance.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
"With durian, I bought a car, houses for my children and built a villa for my family," he said, his affluence evident around him.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
A waiter at the Montecristo was also prosecuted, as was the owner of the agency which rents out the villa.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Rhoda the unflappable,” as Leonie thinks of her, makes short work of locating her quarry in a run-down villa on the small Maltese island of Gozo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
At dinner I ate very quickly and left for the villa where the British had their hospital.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
A day later, Belgium's 29-year-old Youri Tielemans joined from Aston Villa for £35m.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Chelsea have also completed eight deals with Aston Villa in four years - a figure matched only by the number of Brighton players who have moved to Stamford Bridge during the same period.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
It took Villa six games to register their first league win last season, but they won't have to wait as long this time.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Aston Villa won't necessarily do that, but I still think they will come out on top despite their poor start to the new campaign.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
“At the Villa Rossa. It was very edifying, baby. We all sang. Where have you been?”
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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
As a result, even as new hotels and villas appear inland, much of the beachfront has remained quiet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 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
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.
