mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland How to pronounce mainland (audio)
-lənd
Synonyms of mainlandnext
: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula
mainlander
ˈmān-ˌlan-dər How to pronounce mainland (audio)
-lən-
noun

Synonyms of mainland

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of mainland in a Sentence

the boat back to the mainland leaves once every two days
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Encore acquired worldwide distribution rights outside mainland China from Chow’s production banner, The Star Overseas, in June. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 Migrants from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa regularly attempt to cross the border fences around Ceuta and Melilla, seeing the Spanish cities as gateways to mainland Europe. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 Heritage Images via Getty Images During a third voyage in 1498, Columbus visited Trinidad and the South American mainland before returning to the original Hispaniola settlement. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 The stock closed nearly 1% higher after tumbling Thursday , the first trading day following a nearly one-week long public holiday in mainland China. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mainland

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mainland was in the 14th century

Rhymes for mainland

See All Rhymes for mainland

Browse Nearby Words

Mainite
mainland
Mainland
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mainland.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainland. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

mainland

noun
main·​land ˈmān-ˌland How to pronounce mainland (audio)
-lənd
: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula
mainlander noun

Geographical Definition

Mainland

geographical name

Main·​land ˈmān-ˌland How to pronounce Mainland (audio)
-lənd
1
honshu
2
island in northern Scotland; largest of the Orkney Islands
3
island in northern Scotland; largest of the Shetland Islands

More from Merriam-Webster on mainland

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mainland

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All