Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A country in northwestern Europe: The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy located in Western Europe, bordering the North Sea. A significant geographical characteristic is that approximately half of its land area lies below sea level.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • We are planning a cycling holiday in the Netherlands next spring.
  • The Netherlands is famous for its tulip fields and windmills.
  • Amsterdam is the capital city of the Netherlands.

Advanced Usage

• "the Netherlands": The definite article "the" is always used with the country's name in English.
  • The government of the Netherlands announced new policies.
• Used in geopolitical or economic contexts.
  • The Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union.

Variants and Related Words

• Dutch (adj): Relating to the Netherlands, its people, or its language.
  • Dutch architecture is distinctive.
• Holland (n): A historical region and former province within the Netherlands; often used informally to refer to the entire country, though this is not technically precise.
  • The cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam are in Holland.

Synonyms

• Holland (common, though informal and metonymic)

Related Phrases

• Kingdom of the Netherlands: The full official name of the sovereign state, which includes the Netherlands in Europe and several Caribbean islands.
  • The Kingdom of the Netherlands has four constituent countries.

Noun

1. a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level