Meaning & use
vast land
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
A very large area of country or territory, especially one that stretches far in every direction.
Grammar: Countable as a phrase: say 'a vast land' or 'vast lands'; it is often followed by 'of' plus a place name.
Patterns
- a vast land
- vast lands
- a vast land of something
- the vast lands of something
They crossed a vast land of dry plains and slow rivers.
The novel describes a vast land where nobody has drawn a map.
From the plane we looked down on a vast land of ice and stone.
phrasecountableliterary
A country or region felt to be great in size, possibility, or spirit, often in poetic or patriotic writing.
Grammar: Often used with 'this' or 'our' in emotional or literary descriptions of a nation.
Patterns
- this vast land
- our vast land
- a vast land of opportunity
Songs about this vast land are still sung at national holidays.
Settlers saw the west as a vast land of opportunity.
He wrote poems praising the beauty of his vast land.
Common combinations
- a vast land of
- Explorers spoke of a vast land of forests and lakes beyond the mountains.
- cross a vast land
- It took the traders months to cross such a vast land.
- explore a vast land
- Scientists traveled north to explore a vast land few people had seen.
- a vast land stretching
- Below us lay a vast land stretching to the horizon.
- the vast lands of
- The vast lands of the north are home to reindeer herders.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expanse
- Use 'expanse' for a wide open surface of one kind, such as water or sand, rather than for a whole country.
- territory
- 'Territory' is more neutral and official, often meaning land controlled by a government or animal.
- wilderness
- 'Wilderness' stresses that the land is wild and unsettled, while 'vast land' only stresses great size.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: vast land or wasteland? vast land or vast expanse?
vast land vs wasteland
'Wasteland' is one word and means land that is empty, damaged, or cannot be used, not simply land that is big.
vast land vs vast expanse
'Vast expanse' describes a wide open surface such as sea or desert; 'vast land' describes a large country or region.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
A singular countable phrase needs a determiner, so 'a vast land of ice and snow' is correct. Option 2 wrongly adds 'the' before 'ice', option 3 drops the article, and option 4 makes the uncountable 'snow' plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vast land”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.