Country Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

country

1 of 2

noun

coun·​try ˈkən-trē How to pronounce country (audio)
plural countries
1
: an indefinite usually extended expanse of land : region
miles of open country
2
a
: the land of a person's birth, residence, or citizenship
left their country for America
b
: a political state or nation or its territory
the country of Italy
3
a
: the people of a state or district : populace
Most of the country voted to end the death penalty.
b
: jury
c
: electorate sense 2
The government will go to the country with this issue.
4
: rural as distinguished from urban areas
prefers the country to the city
5
6
countryish adjective

country

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the country
country living
2
a
: of or relating to a decorative style associated with life in the country
an English country look
also : possessing a style of rustic simplicity
country furniture
b
: prepared or processed with farm supplies and procedures
country ham
3
: of, relating to, suitable for, or featuring country music
country singers

Did you know?

The English word country is derived from Latin contra, which means “against” or “on the opposite side.” In Medieval Latin the noun contrata was formed from contra. Contrata was literally “that which is situated opposite the beholder.” But that which is opposite the beholder is just what he or she sees. So contrata meant “landscape.” It also came to mean “expanse of land, region.” This was the original meaning of English country, which over the years has itself developed a number of new meanings.

Examples of country in a Sentence

Noun The two countries have a lot in common. They drove across the country from California to New York. They are living in different parts of the country. The whole country was stunned by the news. The President has the support of most of the country. He moved to the north country to fish and hunt. We went camping in the hill country. They drove through miles of open country. She lives out in the country. They prefer the country to the city. Adjective plain country living among unpretentious people
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There’s the ongoing–and unjustified–litigation around glyphosate, an essential herbicide that environmental regulators in every major country have assessed as safe. Bill Anderson, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 Crafted with the help of Spanish chef and restaurateur José Andrés, Rahm’s menu is a love letter to the Basque territories in the north of his country. Jack Bantock, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Idaho trappers will have fewer opportunities to trap and snare wolves in grizzly country due to a federal judge’s ruling that eliminates year-round trapping on private land in grizzly bear recovery zones and shortens the public-land season there by six weeks. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 21 Mar. 2024 Our country needs our speakers to actually lead and make the hard decisions and do things that are going to be tough in this town. Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Hong Kong is China, and it should be represented by that country’s diplomatic missions. The Editors, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024 Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, furious they were left out of the negotiations, opposed its wishlist of GOP immigration priorities, including raising the threshold for asylum seekers and curbing presidential authority to parole migrants who face persecution in their home countries. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 O’Brien said the production would spend between a week and 10 days shooting in a country. Michael Schneider, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Italy has tied with the U.K. in terms of tickets sales — the film has earned north of $9 million in each country — and it’s expected to become the top-grossing territory this weekend or next. Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024
Adjective
To some, the look echoed what has been a big night for country music—especially for non-country musicians. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024 Gorley, 45, has written hits for a raft of country artists, as well as such non-country artists as Bon Jovi and Jason Derulo. Paul Grein, Billboard, 13 Apr. 2023 Deaton says that viewers of this year’s special can expect more collaborations than ever, pairing country artists from different eras, along with some surprise, non-country guests. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 5 June 2023 With all affected provinces sharing borders with Cameroon and Gabon, WHO has assessed the risk of a multi-country outbreak as high. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2023 Both airports have benefited from American’s push to dominate mid-country airports. Ted Reed, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 The current West Africa clade would be divided into two designations, with the large multi-country outbreak that is currently underway belonging to what would be known as clade 3. Helen Branswell, STAT, 13 June 2022 In an effort to salvage their relationship, Rick decides to take the entire Mitchell family on a cross-country road trip to see Katie off. WIRED, 10 Feb. 2023 Take it with you on a cross-country road trip, while climbing Kilimanjaro, or while visiting bucket-list destinations such as Machu Picchu. Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'country.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English contree, from Anglo-French cuntree, contré, from Medieval Latin contrata, from Latin contra against, on the opposite side

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of country was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near country

Cite this Entry

“Country.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/country. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

country

1 of 2 noun
coun·​try ˈkən-trē How to pronounce country (audio)
plural countries
1
: an indefinite usually large stretch of land : region
hill country
2
a
: the land of a person's birth, residence, or citizenship
b
: a nation or its territory
3
: the people of a state or district : populace
4
: the open rural area outside of big towns and cities
lives out in the country

country

2 of 2 adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the country : rural, rustic

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