low-lying land

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   Ground that sits at or only a little above the level of the sea or of nearby water.

   Grammar: No plural and no article in general use: low-lying land, not 'a low-lying land'.

   Patterns

   • low-lying land near something
   • a stretch of low-lying land
   • low-lying land is flooded

   The village was built on low-lying land beside the river.

   Farmers on low-lying land lose crops whenever the water rises.

   Much of the city's low-lying land is now protected by sea walls.

2. 2noununcountable

   Land in a valley or hollow that is lower than the ground around it.

   Grammar: Used for a physical feature; often with words like area, strip or region before it.

   Patterns

   • a strip of low-lying land
   • low-lying land between hills

   A narrow strip of low-lying land runs between the two ridges.

   Mist collects over the low-lying land in the early morning.

   They drained the low-lying land and turned it into fields.

3. 3noununcountabletechnical

   Land that is easily covered by water, so at risk of flooding.

   Grammar: Often used in planning and climate reports; usually followed by at risk of or prone to.

   Patterns

   • low-lying land at risk of flooding
   • low-lying land prone to flooding

   The report lists low-lying land most at risk from rising seas.

   Insurance is harder to get for homes on low-lying land.

   New building is banned on low-lying land near the coast.

Common combinations

low-lying land near the coast

Storms hit low-lying land near the coast hardest.

a stretch of low-lying land

A long stretch of low-lying land separates the road from the sea.

low-lying land is flooded

After heavy rain, the low-lying land is flooded for days.

drain low-lying land

Engineers drained the low-lying land to make room for houses.

build on low-lying land

Officials warned against building on low-lying land.

Synonyms and how they differ

floodplain

A floodplain is the flat ground beside a river that floods naturally; low-lying land is broader and can be low for other reasons.

marshland

Marshland is wet, soft ground; low-lying land may be low but dry.

Opposites

Word family

low-lying adjective

Sitting low; used before a noun, as in low-lying areas.

Commonly confused: low-lying land or lowland?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “low-lying land”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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