land

Syllabification: (land)

Pronunciation: /land/

Definition of land

1the part of the earth’s surface that is not covered by water, as opposed to the sea or the air:the reptiles lay their eggs on land after four weeks at sea we sighted land
[as modifier] living or traveling on land rather than in water or the air:a land mammal
an expanse of land; an area of ground, especially in terms of its ownership or use:the land north of the village (lands)the Indians were wiped out as gold prospectors invaded their lands
(the land) ground or soil used as a basis for agriculture:my family had worked the land for many years

2a country:the valley is one of the most beautiful in the land the lands of the Middle East America, the land of political equality
a conceptual realm or domain:you are living in a fantasy land

1 [with object] put (someone or something) on land from a boat:the lifeboat landed the survivors safely ashore
[no object] go ashore; disembark:the marines landed at a small fishing jetty
bring (a fish) to land, especially with a net or hook:I landed a scrappy three-pound walleye
informal succeed in obtaining or achieving (something desirable), especially in the face of strong competition:she landed the starring role in a new film

2 [no object] come down through the air and alight on the ground:planes landing at the rate of two a minute
[with object] bring (an aircraft or spacecraft) to the ground or the surface of water, especially in a controlled way:the copilot landed the plane
reach the ground after falling or jumping:he leaped over the fence and landed nimbly on his feet
[with adverbial of place] (of an object) come to rest after falling or being thrown:the plate landed in her lap
informal (of something unpleasant or unexpected) arrive suddenly:there seemed to be more problems than ever landing on her desk this week

3 [with object] (land someone in) informal cause someone to be in (a difficult or unwelcome situation):his exploits always landed him in trouble
(land someone with) inflict (an unwelcome task or a difficult situation) on someone:the mistake landed the company with a massive bill

4 [with object] informal inflict (a blow) on someone:I won the fight without landing a single punch [with two objects]:I landed him one

Phrases

how the land lies: what the state of affairs is:let’s keep it to ourselves until we see how the land lies
in the land of the living: humorous alive or awake.
the land of Nod: humorous a state of sleep.
[punningly, with biblical allusion to the place name Nod (Gen. 4:16)]
land on one's feet: have good luck or success, especially after risk or trial:after some ups and downs, he has finally landed on his feet
live off the land: live on whatever food one can obtain by hunting, gathering, or subsistence farming.

Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch land and German Land

Definition of land in the British & World English dictionary