land
land
/lænd/
surface of earth
The new project will reclaim the land from the sea.
on land It was good to be back on land.
Some animals can live both on land and in water.
by land We travelled by land, though flying would have been cheaper.
It's impossible to reach this beach by land because of the high cliffs.
We can organize air transport, land transport and all accommodation for your trip.
Collocations
adjective
verb + land
land + noun
preposition
by land
on land
area of ground
2 uncountable (also lands plural) an area of ground, especially of a particular type or used for a particular purpose agricultural/arable/fertile land
Changes in land use can have significant effects on the local wildlife.
a piece/plot of land
They are not permitted to build on the surrounding green belt land (= open land around a city).
The land rose to the east.
Some of the country's richest grazing lands are in these valleys.
Collocations
adjective
… of land
verb + land
land + verb
land + noun
3 uncountable (also formal lands plural) the area of ground that somebody owns, especially when you think of it as property that can be bought or sold public/private land
to own/buy/purchase/sell land
He acquired a parcel of several acres of land.
The college owns vast tracts of land.
land ownership/acquisition
Land values in the area are falling.
During the war their lands were occupied by the enemy.
Ancient tribes were forced off their ancestral lands.
The adjoining plot of land belongs to the local council.
countryside
4 the land uncountable 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.
Her family had farmed the land for generations.
Collocations
verb + the land
country/region
5 countable (literary) used to refer to a country or region in a way that involves the emotions or the imagination She longed to return to her native land.
They dreamed of travelling to foreign lands.
faraway lands beyond the sea
America is the land of freedom and opportunity.
the land of the fairies/elves/giants
Collocations
adjective
verb + land
Idioms
land
/lænd/
of bird/plane/insect
1 intransitive to come down through the air onto the ground or another surface The plane landed safely.
Both aircraft landed on the runway.
A fly landed on his nose.
Collocations
adverb
verb + land
be about to
be due to
be scheduled to
preposition
at
of pilot
2 transitive land something to control a plane and bring it down to the ground The pilot landed the plane safely.
to land a helicopter/an aircraft
He landed the damaged aircraft in a field.
Collocations
adverb
safely
verb + land
be about tobe due tobe scheduled to…
preposition
at
arrive in plane/boat
The flight is due to land at 3 o'clock.
We shall be landing shortly. Please fasten your seat belts.
The troops landed at dawn.
They were the first men to land on the moon.
4 transitive land somebody/something to put somebody/something on land from an aircraft, a boat, etc. The troops were landed by helicopter.
fall to ground
5 intransitive to come down somewhere after jumping, falling or being thrown She fell and landed heavily on her back.
I landed awkwardly and twisted my ankle.
Several men were killed when rocket shells landed in the troop camp.
The heavy ball landed with a thud.
He came flying through the air and landed in a crumpled heap at my feet.
Collocations
adverb
awkwardly
badly
painfully
preposition
on
difficulties
6 intransitive + 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 transitive (informal) to succeed in getting a job, etc., especially one that a lot of other people want land something He's just landed a starring role in a Hollywood movie.
land somebody/yourself something She's just landed herself a company directorship.
fish
8 transitive land something to catch a fish and bring it out of the water on to the land It took me three attempts to land the fish.
rugby
9 transitive land something to score a penalty (4) or conversion (3) Ceri Sweeney landed a penalty with the last kick of the half.
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Word Origin
Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch land and German Land.