land

Universal Words 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. seealsoDRYLAND -< EARTH area of ground 2 [U] (also lands [pl.]) an area of ground, especially of a particular type or used for a particular purpose: fertile / arid / stony land * flat / undulating / hilly land * agricultural / arable / industrial 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. * He owns 500 acres of land in Scotland. * During the war their lands were occupied by the enemy. * conflicts over tribal lands seealsoNO-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. * His family had always farmed the land. country / region 5 [C] (literary) used to refer to a country or region in an emotional or imaginative way: 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 seealsoCLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND, CLUBLAND, DOCKLAND, DREAMLAND, FAIRYLAND, NEVER-NEVERLAND, THEPROMISEDLAND, WONDERLAND HELPNOTE There are many other compounds ending in land. You will find them at their place in the alphabet. IDIOMS (back) in the land of the living used to emphasize that sb is still living or that sb is alive and well after an illness or accident: I'm glad to see you're back in the land of the living. We were worried about you. * Only two of his old school friends are still in the land of the living. the land of milk and honey a place where life is pleasant and easy and people are very happy: He dreamed of emigrating to Canada-the land of milk and honey. see, etc. how the land lies (BrE) to find out about a situation: Let's wait and see how the land lies before we do anything. moreatLIEn., LIVE, SPYv. 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. OPPTAKEOFF 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. to succeed in hitting sb/sth: She landed a punch on his chin. moreatFOOTn. PHRASALVERBS land in sth