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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rescuers quickly mobilized a network of volunteers and professionals from across California, tapping about 20 agencies to assist in scouring some 60,000 acres of woodland.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
"They've lots of humidity supporting mosses, lichens, and complex woodland structures, including ravines, rivers and rocky outcrops."
From BBC • May 25, 2026
The samples contained pollen and plant waxes associated with humid West African rainforests, while very low levels of grass pollen suggested the site was surrounded by dense woodland rather than a thin strip of forest.
From Science Daily • May 20, 2026
Rowlinson said restoring woodland could improve soil health, reduce flooding and limit pollution entering waterways, with potential knock-on effects for marine ecosystems.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
There was woodland nearby and they could vanish into it, keeping more or less together, and simply continue on their way.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
