woodland
noun
land covered with woods or trees.
woodland
1 American
[wood-land, -luhnd, wood-luhnd]
/ ˈwʊdˌlænd, -lənd, ˈwʊd lənd /
noun
-
woodlands
plural
adjective
Woodland
2
American
[wood-luhnd]
/ ˈwʊd lənd /
noun
woodland
British
/ ˈwʊdlənd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of woodland
Explanation
Woodland is a natural habitat with many plants and trees. Therefore, a zebra would not be considered a woodland animal, but a deer would fit the bill. You can use woodland as a noun, or as an adjective to describe things that have something to do with this particular kind of land, like woodland animals or a woodland habitat. Woodlands usually feature trees, grasses, shrubs, and other plants. If you're walking in the woods and the trees almost completely block the sunlight, you're in a forest, not a woodland. The Old English version was wudulond.
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:
In 1969, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum opened here, a long, low modernist building in a woodland park, housing a stellar collection of antiquities, and Islamic, Asian and European paintings, sculpture and decorative arts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
As well as the properties that were completely destroyed, a further 18 were damaged as the flames spread rapidly through grass and woodland.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
It’s a mix of woodland trails and roads following a chain of yellow arrows on stone walls or sidewalks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Through the trunks, we get the occasional glimpse of the razed farmland which tightly fences this pocket of protected woodland.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
A fox trying to catch a rabbit usually creeps upwind under cover—perhaps through a patch of woodland to the edge.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
Americans Chris Gotterup and Gary Woodland are on 11 under, with compatriot Collin Morikawa on 10 under and South Korea's Im Sung-Jae on nine under.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Warner Center is the commercial hub of Woodland Hills, a Los Angeles neighborhood of more than 70,000 people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Dr Kate Lewthwaite, citizen science manager at the Woodland Trust, said a historic map of Grantham recorded the oak being in place from the 1800s.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
In videos posted to social media, he also was captured hitting a blocking sled at UCLA, and going through speed and agility drills at the Rams’ facility in Woodland Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Woodland elephants are different from their grand cousins who stomp across the grasslands: they’re smaller and more delicate, nuzzling through the leafy soil with rosy-pink tusks.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Barth said replacing flammable pine forests with mixed woodlands would help.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The disasters, coming at the peak of the summer vacation period when tourists flock to both countries, were fuelled by woodlands parched to tinder by successive heatwaves and lack of rain since May.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
The family of a 14-year-old girl found dead in woodlands last month have described her as "the most beautiful, kind and caring little girl", who was "completely and utterly herself".
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Looking out their back windows, they can see foxes, deer and possums in neighboring woodlands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Often used or conjured by wizards for decoration, the fairy generally inhabits woodlands or glades.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
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.
