Meaning & use
land
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The solid part of the earth's surface, not the sea, lakes, or air.
Grammar: Usually no article in general statements: Land covers about a third of the planet.
Patterns
- on land
- reach land
- dry land
The sailors were relieved to see land after the storm.
Most penguins spend part of their lives on land.
The plane made an emergency landing on dry land.
verbintransitive
To come down onto the ground or another surface after moving through the air.
Grammar: No object when the thing descends: The plane landed. Use land on for the surface.
Patterns
- land on something
- land safely
- land in/at a place
The bird landed on the fence and looked around.
Our flight landed forty minutes late.
She jumped and landed softly on the grass.
verbtransitive
To bring an aircraft or passenger safely down onto a surface.
Grammar: Takes an object: The pilot landed the helicopter. Contrast with intransitive The helicopter landed.
Patterns
- land something
- land someone somewhere
The pilot landed the damaged jet without serious injury.
Strong wind made it hard to land the drone.
He landed the boat beside the pier at sunset.
verbtransitiveinformal
To succeed in getting something desired, especially a job, deal, or role.
Grammar: Takes an object and is informal: land a job, not land on a job.
Patterns
- land a job
- land a deal
- land a role
After six interviews, she landed a job at the design studio.
The startup landed its first major investor.
He landed the lead role in the school musical.
nouncountable or uncountable
An area of ground used for a purpose, or property owned by someone.
Grammar: Uncountable in general farming talk; countable for a specific piece: a piece of land.
Patterns
- a piece of land
- farming land
- own land
They bought a piece of land near the river.
Fertile land is scarce in the region.
The city plans to build a clinic on city-owned land.
Word forms
| third person singular | lands |
|---|---|
| past tense | landed |
| past participle | landed |
| -ing form | landing |
| plural noun | lands |
Common combinations
- land safely
- Despite the storm, the pilot landed safely.
- land a job
- He landed a job close to home.
- a piece of land
- They planted trees on a small piece of land.
- native land
- The poem celebrates mountains, rivers, and native land.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ground
- Ground is the immediate surface underfoot; land is broader and can contrast with sea or refer to property.
- soil
- Soil is the material plants grow in; land can mean territory, property, or solid surface.
- secure
- Secure is more formal than land for obtaining a job, deal, or place.
- arrive
- Arrive is neutral; land can emphasize the final contact or informal achievement.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: land or lend? land or landing?
land vs lend
Lend means give temporarily; land has a short a sound in many accents and a different meaning.
land vs landing
Landing is the noun or -ing form; use land for the base verb or uncountable surface.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
For obtaining work, land is transitive and takes a direct object: land a job. Land on describes physically touching a surface.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “land”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.