Definition

1. Noun:

   • The solid part of the Earth's surface not covered by water: The physical ground or terrain.
   • A specific area of ground, especially with reference to its ownership or use: Property or territory.
   • A country or nation: A region or territory considered as a political or national entity.
   • The realm or domain of a particular activity or idea: A figurative area of interest or expertise.
   • Soil or earth, especially with regard to its agricultural quality: The top layer of the ground in which plants grow.

2. Verb:

   • To come down or bring something down to rest on the ground or another surface: To arrive on solid ground from the air or water.
   • To bring (a fish, aircraft, or vehicle) to shore or to the ground: To successfully guide to a stop.
   • To succeed in obtaining or achieving something desirable, often after effort: To secure a job, contract, or prize.
   • To cause someone to be in a difficult or unpleasant situation: To bring someone into a particular, often problematic, circumstance.
   • To deliver a punch or blow: To hit a target with a strike.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • After weeks at sea, the sailors were happy to see land.
  • He owns 50 acres of land in the countryside.
  • She returned to her native land after many years abroad.
  • The study of genetics is unfamiliar land to me.
  • This land is very fertile and good for farming.

• Verb:

  • The bird will land on that branch.
  • The pilot managed to land the plane safely in the storm.
  • He finally landed a job at the prestigious law firm.
  • His reckless behavior could land him in jail.
  • The boxer landed a powerful punch on his opponent's chin.

Advanced Usage

• "The lay of the land": The current state or nature of a situation.

  • Before we make a decision, we need to understand the lay of the land.

• "To see how the land lies": To investigate or assess a situation before acting.

  • Let's see how the land lies before we present our proposal.

• "Land on one's feet": To successfully navigate out of a difficult situation.

  • Despite the company's failure, she always seems to land on her feet.

Variants and Related Words

• Landing (n): The act of coming to land; a platform at the top of or between flights of stairs.
  • The airplane's landing was very smooth.
• Landlocked (adj): Almost or entirely surrounded by land.
  • Switzerland is a landlocked country.
• Landlord/Landlady (n): A person who rents out land, a building, or accommodation.
  • We called the landlord to fix the leak.

Synonyms

• Noun: Ground, earth, soil, terrain, property, estate, country, nation, state, realm, domain.
• Verb: Alight, touch down, arrive, secure, obtain, acquire, catch, get.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Land up: To finally arrive at a place or situation, often unexpectedly.
  • If you're not careful, you'll land up in trouble.
• Land with: To give someone an unpleasant or difficult task.
  • My boss landed me with the annual report at the last minute.

Related Idioms

• The land of Nod: A state of sleep.
  • The boring lecture sent him off to the land of Nod.
• A land of milk and honey: A place of great abundance and prosperity.
  • Many immigrants saw America as a land of milk and honey.
• In the land of the living: Awake and active (often used humorously).
  • Good morning! Are you in the land of the living yet?

Noun

1. agriculture considered as an occupation or way of life
   • farming is a strenuous life
   • there's no work on the land any more
2. United States inventor who incorporated Polaroid film into lenses and invented the one step photographic process (1909-1991)
3. a politically organized body of people under a single government
   • the state has elected a new president
   • African nations
   • students who had come to the nation's capitol
   • the country's largest manufacturer
   • an industrialized land
4. the people who live in a nation or country
   • a statement that sums up the nation's mood
   • the news was announced to the nation
   • the whole country worshipped him
5. extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
   • the family owned a large estate on Long Island
6. a domain in which something is dominant
   • the untroubled kingdom of reason
   • a land of make-believe
   • the rise of the realm of cotton in the south
7. the territory occupied by a nation
   • he returned to the land of his birth
   • he visited several European countries
8. the solid part of the earth's surface
   • the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land
   • the earth shook for several minutes
   • he dropped the logs on the ground
9. territory over which rule or control is exercised
   • his domain extended into Europe
   • he made it the law of the land
10. material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
    • the land had never been plowed
    • good agricultural soil
11. the land on which real estate is located
    • he built the house on land leased from the city

Verb

1. shoot at and force to come down
   • the enemy landed several of our aircraft
2. arrive on shore
   • The ship landed in Pearl Harbor
3. deliver (a blow)
   • He landed several blows on his opponent's head
4. bring ashore
   • The drug smugglers landed the heroin on the beach of the island
5. bring into a different state
   • this may land you in jail
6. cause to come to the ground
   • the pilot managed to land the airplane safely
7. reach or come to rest
   • The bird landed on the highest branch
   • The plane landed in Istanbul