land

land / land/ • n. 1. the part of the earth's surface that is not covered by water, as opposed to the sea or the air: after four weeks at sea we sighted land. ∎  [as adj.] living or traveling on land rather than in water or the air: a land mammal. ∎  an expanse of land; an area of ground, esp. in terms of its ownership or use: the land north of the village. (lands) the Indians were wiped out as gold prospectors invaded their lands. ∎  (the land) ground or soil used as a basis for agriculture: my family had worked the land for many years. 2. a country: the valley is one of the most beautiful in the land. ∎ fig. a realm or domain: you are living in a fantasy land. 3. the space between the rifling grooves in a gun. • v. 1. [tr.] put ashore: the lifeboat landed the survivors safely ashore. ∎  [intr.] go ashore; disembark: the marines landed at a small fishing jetty. ∎  unload (goods) from a ship: the fishing boats landed their catch at the port. ∎  bring (a fish) to land, esp. with a net or hook: I landed a scrappy three-pound walleye. ∎ inf. succeed in obtaining or achieving (something desirable), esp. in the face of strong competition: she landed the starring role in a new film. 2. [intr.] come down through the air and alight on the ground: planes landing at the rate of two a minute. ∎  [tr.] bring (an aircraft or spacecraft) to the ground or the surface of water, esp. in a controlled way: the copilot landed the plane. ∎ inf. (of something unpleasant or unexpected) arrive suddenly: there seemed to be more problems than ever landing on her desk this week. 3. [tr.] (land someone in) inf. cause someone to be in (a difficult or unwelcome situation): his exploits always landed him in trouble. ∎  (land someone with) inflict (an unwelcome task or a difficult situation) on someone: the mistake landed the company with a massive bill. 4. [tr.] inf. inflict (a blow) on someone: I won the fight without landing a single punch. PHRASES: how the land lies what the state of affairs is: let's keep it to ourselves until we see how the land lies. in the land of the living humorous alive or awake. the land of Nod humorous a state of sleep. [ORIGIN: punningly, with biblical allusion to the place name Nod (Gen. 4:16).] land on one's feet have good luck or success: after some ups and downs, he has finally landed on his feet. live off the land live on whatever food one can obtain by hunting, gathering, or subsistence farming.