terrain

noun

ter·​rain tə-ˈrān How to pronounce terrain (audio)
also te-
Synonyms of terrain
1
a(1)
: a geographic area
(2)
: a piece of land : ground
b
: the physical features of a tract of land
2
: terrane sense 1
3
a
: a field of knowledge or interest
b
: environment, milieu

Synonyms of terrain

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of terrain in a Sentence

We had to drive over some rough terrain. We hiked through a variety of terrains.
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.
In the new series, Grylls and Wood transform ordinary vehicles into extreme adventure machines, then push them to their limits in wild and unpredictable missions across some of the world’s most rugged terrain. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 The SSCs are designed to deliver mission-ready capability, moving over tides, terrains and obstacles, enabling access to 80% of the world’s coastline. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026 Its infrastructure, which carries rich resources across vast desert terrain, leaves it an easy target for the cheaper one-way drones developed by the Houthis. — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026 That’s where low-level southeasterly flow will be pushed uphill by the terrain. — Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for terrain

Word History

Etymology

French, land, ground, from Old French terrein, from Vulgar Latin *terranum, alteration of Latin terrenum, from neuter of terrenus of earth — more at terrene

First Known Use

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of terrain was in 1766

Phrases Containing terrain

Rhymes for terrain

See All Rhymes for terrain

Browse Nearby Words

terraform
terrain
terra incognita
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

terrain

noun
ter·​rain tə-ˈrān How to pronounce terrain (audio)
also te-
: the surface features of an area of land
rough terrain

More from Merriam-Webster on terrain

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about terrain

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

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

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

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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