land

LAND/lænd/

Plurallands

Verblands, landing, landed

28 meanings of land

Practice

1
propertynouncountable or uncountable
Ground that someone owns, which can be built on or used.
They bought a piece of land outside the city to build a house.
Disputes over who owned the land lasted for years.
UsageSay a piece of land (not ~~incorrect: a land~~).
Similarproperty, ground, acreage
2
dry groundnouncountable or uncountable
The dry parts of Earth's surface, not covered by sea or other water.
Like the dry floor of the world, with the seas all around it.
After weeks at sea, the sailors were glad to reach dry land.
Most of the planet's surface is water rather than land.
UsageSay on land and by land.
Similarground
Oppositesea, water
3
nouncountable or uncountable
A country or area, including the country you come from.
They traveled to a distant land in search of spices.
She dreamed of visiting the land where her favorite stories were set.
UsageSay a faraway land in stories. In everyday talk, say country.
4
settle (from air)verbintransitive
To come down from the air onto the ground or another surface.
Like a leaf floating down and settling on the ground.
The plane will land in about ten minutes.
A small bird landed on the windowsill.
UsageSay land on the ground or land in a city.
Similaralight, settle
5
winverbtransitive
To get or win something, often after a lot of effort.
Like finally catching a big fish after a long wait.
She landed a great job after months of searching.
He hopes to land a major client this year.
UsageSay land a job when you get one.
Similarsecure, win, get, obtain, clinch
Oppositelose
6
verbtransitive
To bring a plane or spaceship down so it stops on the ground or another surface.
The pilot had to land the plane in a field.
The astronauts landed their spaceship gently on the moon.
Note
7
verbtransitive or intransitive
To end up in a place or situation, often a bad one, or to make someone end up there.
If you keep driving like that, you'll land in the hospital.
His jokes in class landed him in trouble with the teacher.
UsageSay something landed you in trouble.
Similarleave, put
Note
8
come ashoreverbintransitive
To come ashore from a boat or other water travel.
The explorers landed on the rocky coast at dawn.
We will land at the harbor before nightfall.
Similardisembark, dock, berth
Oppositeembark
9
verbtransitive
To hit the thing you are aiming at, as in 'land a punch'.
Like throwing a ball and hitting the target right in the middle.
She landed a hard punch on the bag.
Try to land each hit on the same spot.
UsageUse on for what is hit: land a punch on someone.
Similardeliver, strike
10
world (of something)nouncountable or uncountablein compounds
An area or world made up of one kind of thing or activity.
In the land of dreams, anything can happen.
She felt lost in the land of grown-up responsibilities.
UsageSay the land of dreams for a world of dreams.
Similarrealm, world, domain, sphere
Note
11
nouncountable or uncountable
The soil, thought about for how good it is for growing crops.
This land is rich and perfect for growing wheat.
Poor, rocky land made farming nearly impossible there.
Similarsoil, ground, earth

Less common meanings

12
bring ashoreverbtransitive
To bring people or things onto the shore from a boat, or to pull a caught fish out of the water.
The crew landed their catch of fish at the dock.
Fishermen land tons of cod here every season.
Similarcatch, unload
13
farming lifenoununcountable
Farming and life in the country, not in towns and cities. People usually say "the land".
My grandparents spent their whole lives working on the land.
Many young people are leaving the land to find jobs in the city.
UsageSay work on the land or live off the land.
Similarcountry
Note
14
natural resourcesnoununcountableeconomics
In economics, all the things nature gives us, like ground, water, and minerals, used to make goods.
A country rich in land, like forests, oil, and fresh water, can produce many kinds of goods.
To an economist, the oil under the ground and the river beside a farm both count as land.
Note
15
verbtransitive
To finish a jump or trick in the air well, coming down without falling.
She practiced all summer to land a backflip on her skateboard.
He landed his first triple jump at the competition.
UsageSay land a jump when you finish it well.
Similarcomplete, nail
Note
16
go down wellverbfigurativelyintransitive
To be received well by the people watching or listening.
The best jokes land instantly with a live crowd.
Her closing speech landed well, and the room erupted in applause.
UsageSay a joke landed when people liked it.
Similarresonate, connect, click, work
Oppositeflop, bomb
17
arrestverbcolloquialtransitive
To catch or arrest someone, such as a criminal.
The detectives finally landed the suspect after a long chase.
Police hope to land the gang's leader this week.
Similarcatch, arrest, capture, nab, collar
18
seduceverbslangtransitive
To succeed in having sex with someone you wanted.
After they slept together, he bragged to his friends that he'd finally landed her.
He went out on Friday hoping to land someone and bring them home for the night.
Similarbed, pull, score
Note
19
verbdatedintransitive
To get down out of a carriage, car, or other vehicle.
10. You will be civil and attentive to passengers, giving proper assistance to ladies and children getting in or out, and never start the car before passengers are fairly received or landed.
1859, “Rules adopted by the Sixth Avenue Railway, N. Y.”, quoted in Alexander EastonHere, landed means helped to step down out of the car.
Similaralight, disembark
Oppositeboard, embark
Note
20
nounobsoletecountable or uncountable
The solid ground or floor under your feet.
her selfe vppon the land / She did prostrate
1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, land means the ground or floor under her.
Note
21
frightnouncolloquialIrelandcountable or uncountable
A sudden shock or scare.
You gave me a land, sneaking up on me like that!
She got such a land when the dog jumped out at her.
UsageSay I got a land or you gave me a land.
Similarfright, shock, scare, turn, start (entry)
Note
22
apartment buildingnoundialectalhistoricalScotlandcountable or uncountable
A large old building holding many homes that share one entrance.
Like an old apartment building where everyone comes in through the same front door.
Long ago in Edinburgh, her family lived in one room of a crowded land off the High Street.
In old Edinburgh, a single land could hold a dozen families, all sharing one front door.
Similartenement
Note
23
noun
The parts of a trip that aren't the flight, like hotels and tours.
24
noun
The flat raised part between grooves or pits, as inside a gun barrel or on a CD.
25
noun
A small metal area on a circuit board where a wire can be joined.
26
noun
The strip of ground left undug between two plowed furrows.
27
noun
One of the strips a field is split into for plowing.
28
noun
On a boat or ship, the part where one plank or metal plate overlaps the next.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of land apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This word comes from Old English 'land', going back to an old Germanic word for land. Similar words are found in Dutch, German, and the Scandinavian languages.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The word comes from Old English 'land'. en.wiktionary.org
Its ancestry includes an older Germanic word meaning 'land'. en.wiktionary.org
Similar related words occur in Dutch, German, and Scandinavian languages. en.wiktionary.org