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:
She added that her emotions had become "very heightened" after spending weeks in the villa.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
When a gay American man arrives to archive her art collection, he’s pulled along by a romance and a deeper mystery at the villa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Olandria and Vansteenberghe entered the “Love Island USA” villa in Fiji in June 2025 and officially coupled up weeks into the production.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
It is a popular area with British families for its sandy beaches, and Villa Francisca, a two-bedroom villa, is described on booking websites as "an ideal choice for a family holiday in the sun".
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
But now we only had 5 fugitives to hide and there were only 7 of us left so there was room for everybody to make a single trip back to the riverside villa.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
He said he was inspired to paint Ozzy after attending his final show at Villa Park last July.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Seeing Harvey Elliott make a surging run on his first game back at the club, after his spell at Aston Villa, to assist Morrison for Liverpool's opener was another positive.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Villa often spent long periods without the ball before attacking into large areas of space at pace.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
This is different to the approach that got the best out of Rogers for Villa.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 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
One of the villas undergoing roof work is a private beachfront complex on North Korea’s east coast city of Wonsan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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
This sprawling 400-acre resort, which is due to be completed later this year, will include Nobu Beach Inn, a luxury hotel made up of 17 villas.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Police have begun warning property owners against renting villas and apartments to suspected scam operators, saying they could face prosecution for aiding criminal activity.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
We came into the town past the factories and then the houses and villas and I saw that many more houses had been hit.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
