any part of the earth's surface not covered by a body of water; the part of the earth's surface occupied by continents and islands

Land was sighted from the crow's nest.

an area of ground with reference to its nature or composition

arable land.

an area of ground with specific boundaries

to buy land on which to build a house.

rural or farming areas, as contrasted with urban areas

They left the land for the city.

Law .

any part of the earth's surface that can be owned as property, and everything annexed to it, whether by nature or by the human hand.

any legal interest held in land.

Economics . natural resources as a factor of production.

a part of the surface of the earth marked off by natural or political boundaries or the like; a region or country

They came from many lands.

the people of a region or country

Audio . the flat surface between the grooves of a phonograph record.

a realm or domain

the land of the living.

a surface between furrows, as on a millstone or on the interior of a rifle barrel.

Scot. a tenement house.

to bring to or set on land

to land passengers or goods from a ship; to land an airplane.

to bring into or cause to arrive in a particular place, position, or condition

His behavior will land him in jail.

Informal . to catch or capture; gain; win

to land a job.

Angling . to bring (a fish) to land, or into a boat, etc., as with a hook or a net.

to come to land or shore

The boat lands at Cherbourg.

to go or come ashore from a ship or boat.

to alight upon a surface, as the ground, a body of water, or the like

to land on both feet.

to hit or strike the ground, as from a height

The ball landed at the far side of the court.

to strike and come to rest on a surface or in something

The golf ball landed in the lake.

to come to rest or arrive in a particular place, position, or condition (sometimes fol. by up )

to land in trouble; to land up 40 miles from home.

land on, Informal . to reprimand; criticize

His mother landed on him for coming home so late.

land on one's feet. foot ( def. 40 ) .

see how the land lies

to investigate in advance; inform oneself of the facts of a situation before acting

You should see how the land lies before making a formal proposal. Compare lay of the land

noun

sea , sky

verb

ascend , take off , fail , lose

noun

acreage , acres , area , beach , continent , country , countryside , dirt , district , earth , estate , expanse , extent , farming , farmland , field , ground , grounds , holding , home , homeland , loam , mainland , manor , nation , old sod , parcel , plot , province , purlieu , quarry , quinta , ranch , real estate , realty , region , shore , sod , soil , stretch , sweep , terra firma , terrain , territory , tillage , tract , body politic , polity , acre , property , abuttal , allodium , alluvium , appanage , arable , arado , assart , barens , cadastre , cape , close , delta , demesne , dereliction , domain , dominion , fallow , farm , freehold , garth , glebe , headland , holm , innings , island , isthmus , peninsula , plantation , plateau , reliction , terrene , topography

verb

alight , berth , bring in , check in , come ashore , come down , come in , come to berth , debark , descend upon , disembark , ditch , dock , drop anchor , flatten out , get down , ground , level off , light on , make land , pilot , put down , put in , set down , set on deck , settle , sit down , splash down , steer , take down , thump , touch down , annex , gain , get , have , obtain , pick up , procure , secure , win , light , acquire , come by