land noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of land noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

land

noun
 
 
/lænd/
 
/lænd/
Idioms
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    surface of earth

  1.  
    [uncountable] the surface of the earth that is not sea
    • The new project will reclaim the land from the sea.
    • on land It was good to be back on land.
    • Some animals can live both on land and in water.
    • by land We travelled by land, though flying would have been cheaper.
    • It's impossible to reach this beach by land because of the high cliffs.
    • We can organize air transport, land transport and all accommodation for your trip.
    see also dry land
    Extra Examples
    • The elephant is the largest living land animal.
    • In the distance the crew sighted land.
    • The explorers reached land after a long voyage.
    • With the land forces defeated, everything now rested on the navy.
    • Antarctica is the only continent without a land mammal population.
    • At last we sighted land.
    • They fought both at sea and on land.
    • We travelled mainly by land.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • dry
    verb + land
    • reach
    • sight
    • reclaim
    • …
    land + noun
    • mass
    • surface
    • animal
    • …
    preposition
    • by land
    • on land
    See full entry
    2.

    area of ground

  2.  
     [uncountable]
    (also lands [plural])
    an area of ground, especially of a particular type or used for a particular purpose synonym terrain
    • agricultural/arable/fertile land
    • Changes in land use can have significant effects on the local wildlife.
    • a piece/plot of land
    • They are not permitted to build on the surrounding green belt land (= open land around a city).
    • The land rose to the east.
    • Some of the country's richest grazing lands are in these valleys.
    Synonyms landlandlot ▪ ground ▪ space ▪ plotThese words all mean an area of land that is used for a particular purpose.land an area of ground, especially one that is used for a particular purpose:
    • agricultural land
    lot (North American English) a piece of land that is used or intended for a particular purpose:
    • building lots
    • a parking lot
    ground an area of land that is used for a particular purpose :
    • The kids were playing on waste ground near the school.
    • the site of an ancient burial ground
     land, lot or ground?Land is used for large areas of open land in the country, especially when it is used for farming. A lot is often a smaller piece of land in a town or city, especially one intended for building or parking on. Ground is any area of open land; a ground is an area of land designed or used for a particular purpose or activity.space a large area of land that has no buildings on it:
    • The city has plenty of open space.
    • the wide open spaces of the Canadian prairies
    plot a small piece of land used or intended for a particular purpose:
    • She bought a small plot of land to build a house.
    • a vegetable plot
     lot or plot?Either a lot or a plot can be used for building on. Only a plot can also be used for growing vegetables or burying people.Patterns
    • an open space
    • open/​empty/​vacant/​waste/​derelict land/​ground
    • a/​an empty/​vacant lot/​plot
    see also common land
    Extra Examples
    • The land was very dry and hard after the long, hot summer.
    • a piece of waste/​derelict land
    • Every scrap of land is used for growing food.
    • Good agricultural land is scarce.
    • The land has been cleared ready for building.
    • They finally got out of the town and reached open land.
    • a piece of land adjoining a disused railway line
    • animals grazing on marginal land that was previously heath or moorland
    • land that is rich in mineral deposits
    • prime building land
    • rich agricultural land
    • the clearing of forested areas to create pastures and arable land
    • It's an attractive village in the heart of the county's agricultural lands.
    • Sheep and goats can live quite happily on mountainous land like this.
    • The land is parched and no crops grow here.
    • The valley provides some rich grazing land for farmers.
    • There was a stretch of derelict land next to the railway.
    • an area of rich, fertile land
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • good
    • prime
    • fertile
    • …
    … of land
    • area
    • parcel
    • patch
    • …
    verb + land
    • have
    • hold
    • own
    • …
    land + verb
    • adjoin something
    land + noun
    • agent
    • office
    • registry
    • …
    See full entry
  3.  
     [uncountable]
    (also formal lands [plural])
    the area of ground that somebody owns, especially when you think of it as property that can be bought or sold
    • public/private land
    • to own/buy/purchase/sell land
    • He acquired a parcel of several acres of land.
    • The college owns vast tracts of land.
    • land ownership/acquisition
    • Land values in the area are falling.
    • During the war their lands were occupied by the enemy.
    • Ancient tribes were forced off their ancestral lands.
    • The adjoining plot of land belongs to the local council.
    see also no man’s land
    Extra Examples
    • The price of land is rising rapidly.
    • conflicts over tribal lands
    • the tribe's ancestral lands
    • These remote tribal lands have been semi-autonomous for decades.
    • He owns 50 hectares of land in Scotland.
    • He was granted land by the king.
    • This used to be common land, where everyone had the right to graze animals.
    • The inhabitants of a village held land in common.
    • The wealthy colonists bought up vast tracts of land.
    • They own a small plot of land.
    • Everyone had the right to graze animals on communal land.
    • They were refused permission to develop the land.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • good
    • prime
    • fertile
    • …
    … of land
    • area
    • parcel
    • patch
    • …
    verb + land
    • have
    • hold
    • own
    • …
    land + verb
    • adjoin something
    land + noun
    • agent
    • office
    • registry
    • …
    See full entry
    4.

    countryside

  4. the land
     [uncountable] used to refer to the countryside and the way people live in the country as opposed to in cities
    • At the beginning of the 20th century almost a third of the population lived off the land (= grew or produced their own food).
    • Many people leave the land to find work in towns and cities.
    • Her family had farmed the land for generations.
    Synonyms countrycountrylandscape ▪ countryside ▪ terrain ▪ land ▪ sceneryThese are all words for areas away from towns and cities, with fields, woods and farms.country (often the country) an area that is away from towns and cities, especially one with particular natural features:
    • She lives in the country.
    • an area of wooded country
    landscape everything that you can see when you look across a large area of land, especially in the country:
    • This pattern of woods and fields is typical of the English landscape.
    countryside land outside towns and cities, with fields, woods and farms. Countryside is usually used when you are talking about the beauty or peacefulness of a country area: a little village in the French countryside. terrain (formal) land. Terrain is used when you are describing the natural features of an area, for example if it is rough, flat, etc: The truck bumped its way over the rough terrain. land (usually the land) the countryside; the way people live in the country as opposed to in towns and cities:
    • Many younger people are leaving the land to find work in the cities.
    scenery the natural features of an area, such as mountains, valleys, rivers and forests, especially when these are attractive to look at:
    • We stopped on the mountain pass to admire the scenery.
    Patterns
    • mountainous/​mountain/​wild/​rugged country/​landscape/​countryside/​terrain/​scenery
    • beautiful/​glorious/​dramatic country/​landscape/​countryside/​scenery
    • open country/​landscape/​countryside/​terrain/​land
    • rolling country/​landscape/​countryside
    • to protect the landscape/​countryside/​land
    Extra Examples
    • He's tired of living in cities, and wants to get back to the land.
    • His family had always worked the land.
    • It's very fertile countryside where you can just live off the land.
    • Almost a third of the population live off the land.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + the land
    • live off
    • farm
    • work
    • …
    See full entry
    5.

    country/region

  5. [countable] (literary) used to refer to a country or region in a way that involves the emotions or the imagination
    • She longed to return to her native land.
    • They dreamed of travelling to foreign lands.
    • faraway lands beyond the sea
    • America is the land of freedom and opportunity.
    • the land of the fairies/elves/giants
    see also cloud cuckoo land, clubland, dockland, dreamland, fairyland, la-la land, never-never land, Promised Land, wonderland
    Extra Examples
    • He journeyed to many distant lands.
    • She was all alone in a strange land.
    • He found himself all alone in a strange land.
    • They dreamed of travelling to faraway lands.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • ancestral
    • native
    • distant
    • …
    verb + land
    • conquer
    • occupy
    • rule
    • …
    See full entry
    6. Word OriginOld English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch land and German Land.
Idioms
in the land of the living
  1. (often humorous) alive; not sleeping; no longer ill
    • I’m glad to see you’re back in the land of the living. We were worried about you.
    • By lunchtime I’d returned to the land of the living.
in the land of Nod
  1. (old-fashioned, humorous) sleeping
    • Pete and Jo were still in the land of Nod, so I went out for a walk in the morning sunshine.
the land of milk and honey
  1. a place where life is pleasant and easy and people are very happy
    • He dreamed of emigrating to Canada—the land of milk and honey.
the lie of the land (British English)
(North American English the lay of the land)
  1. the way the land in an area is formed and what physical characteristics it has
    • The castle was hidden by the lie of the land.
  2. the way a situation is now and how it is likely to develop
    • Check out the lie of the land before you make a decision.
live off the fat of the land
  1. to have enough money to be able to afford expensive things, food, drink, etc.
see, etc. how the land lies
  1. (British English) to find out about a situation
    • Let's wait and see how the land lies before we do anything.
spy out the land
  1. to collect information before deciding what to do
See land in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee land in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: land

Nearby words

aspiration
noun
 
 
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