VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

Holy Land

proper noun, noun·Advancedreligion

Last updated

UK/ˌhəʊ.li ˈlænd/
US/ˌhoʊ.li ˈlænd/

Meanings

  1. proper nounsingularreligion

    The region around Israel and Palestine, regarded as sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims because of events in their religious history.

    Grammar: Singular and used with the: the Holy Land is visited by many pilgrims.

    Patterns

    • pilgrimage to the Holy Land
    • travel to the Holy Land

    Thousands of pilgrims travel to the Holy Land every year.

    He spent a week in the Holy Land, visiting Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

    Medieval knights set out for the Holy Land on crusade.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    Any place, usually written without capitals, that a group treats as sacred or as the center of its faith.

    Grammar: Used with an or the, and often figurative: baseball's holy land.

    Patterns

    • the holy land of something

    For many fans, the stadium is a holy land.

    Mecca is the holy land of the Muslim faith.

    The old record shop is a holy land for jazz collectors.

Common combinations

pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Her pilgrimage to the Holy Land lasted two weeks.
visit the Holy Land
They saved for years to visit the Holy Land.
tour of the Holy Land
We joined a guided tour of the Holy Land.
journey to the Holy Land
The journey to the Holy Land was long and dangerous in the Middle Ages.
travel in the Holy Land
Visitors who travel in the Holy Land should check local advice.

Synonyms and how they differ

Palestine
Palestine is a geographic and political name and is more contested, while Holy Land names the region through its religious meaning.
sacred land
Sacred land is a general phrase for any place held holy, while the Holy Land is a particular region.
promised land
The Promised Land comes from the Bible and means the land promised to the Israelites, and it often has a figurative use for a place of hope.

Word family

holy adjective
connected with God or a religion and treated with great respect
holiness noun
the quality of being holy
pilgrim noun
a person who travels to a sacred place
pilgrimage noun
a religious journey to a sacred place

Commonly confused: Holy Land or Promised Land?

Holy Land vs Promised Land

The Promised Land refers to the land God promised in the Bible, or figuratively to a place of future happiness, whereas the Holy Land is the sacred region itself.

Practice

Why do many Christians, Jews and Muslims travel to the Holy Land?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “Holy Land”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words