villa
noun
a country residence or estate.
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vilwa.
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
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
"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
The villa they were staying in was vast and the interaction between the men and Mr Baptiste while inside the villa was limited.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Lourdes circles back to the front of the villa on unsteady legs.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery and Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler's stock is high with those in the corridors of power at United - but extracting them from their respective clubs would be difficult.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Capistrano Valley upset unbeaten Corona del Mar last week and takes on 7-1 Villa Park, which lost to Corona del Mar, in a Bravo League game on Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Villa entertain Norwegian side Viking in their third Champions League match of the season on Wednesday before hosting a Manchester City side that have won all seven of their Premier League matches this season.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Johan Manzambi heads the winner for Aston Villa against Newcastle, marking manager Unai Emery's 100th Premier League victory.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
I stopped in front of the Villa Rossa.
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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
Fregate Island This ultra-private island reopens in October after a five-year, ground-up rebuild, with 14 private-pool villas and three estates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 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
Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
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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.
