LAND


Meaning of LAND in English

/ lænd; NAmE / noun , verb

■ noun

SURFACE OF EARTH

1.

[ U ] the surface of the earth that is not sea :

It was good to be back on land .

We made the journey by land , though flying would have been cheaper.

In the distance the crew sighted land.

The elephant is the largest living land animal.

—see also dry land ➡ note at floor , soil

AREA OF GROUND

2.

[ U ] (also lands [ pl. ]) an area of ground, especially of a particular type or used for a particular purpose

SYN terrain :

fertile / arid / stony, etc. land

flat / undulating / hilly, etc. land

agricultural / arable / industrial, etc. land

The land was very dry and hard after the long, hot summer.

The land rose to the east.

a piece of waste / derelict land

Some of the country's richest grazing lands are in these valleys.

3.

[ U ] (also formal lands [ pl. ]) the area of ground that sb owns, especially when you think of it as property that can be bought or sold :

The price of land is rising rapidly.

During the war their lands were occupied by the enemy.

—see also no-man's-land

COUNTRYSIDE

4.

the land [ U ] 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.

➡ note at country

COUNTRY / REGION

5.

[ C ] ( literary ) used to refer to a country or region in a way which appeals to the emotions or the imagination :

She longed to return to her native land .

They dreamed of travelling to foreign lands .

America is the land of freedom and opportunity.

—see also cloud cuckoo land , clubland , dockland , dreamland , fairyland , never-never land , the Promised Land , wonderland

HELP NOTE : There are many other compounds ending in land . You will find them at their place in the alphabet.

IDIOMS

- in the land of the living

- the land of milk and honey

- in the land of Nod

- see, etc. how the land lies

—more at lie noun , live (I), spy verb

■ verb

OF BIRD / PLANE / INSECT

1.

[ v ] to come down through the air onto the ground or another surface :

The plane landed safely.

A fly landed on his nose.

OPP take off

OF PILOT

2.

[ vn ] to bring a plane down to the ground in a controlled way :

The pilot landed the plane safely.

ARRIVE IN PLANE / BOAT

3.

[ v ] to arrive somewhere in a plane or a boat :

We shall be landing shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts.

The troops landed at dawn.

They were the first men to land on the moon.

The ferry is due to land at 3 o'clock.

4.

[ vn ] to put sb/sth on land from an aircraft, a boat, etc. :

The troops were landed by helicopter.

FALL TO GROUND

5.

[ v ] to come down to the ground after jumping, falling or being thrown :

I fell and landed heavily at the bottom of the stairs.

A large stone landed right beside him.

DIFFICULTIES

6.

[ v + adv. / prep. ] to arrive somewhere and cause difficulties that have to be dealt with :

Why do complaints always land on my desk (= why do I always have to deal with them) ?

JOB

7.

( informal ) to succeed in getting a job, etc., especially one that a lot of other people want :

[ vn ]

He's just landed a starring role in Spielberg's next movie.

[ vnn ]

She's just landed herself a company directorship.

FISH

8.

[ vn ] to catch a fish and bring it out of the water on to the land

IDIOMS

- land a blow, punch, etc.

—more at foot noun

PHRASAL VERBS

- land in sth | land sb / yourself in sth

- land up in, at ...

- land sb / yourself with sth/sb

••

SYNONYMS

land

lot ♦ ground ♦ space ♦ plot

These 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

( NAmE ) 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 AND COLLOCATIONS :

(an) open land / ground / space

(a / an) empty / vacant / unused / derelict land / lot / ground / plot

waste land / ground

a burial plot

••

WORD ORIGIN

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

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.