country

[ kuhn-tree ]

/ ˈkʌn tri /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR country ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural coun·tries.

a state or nation: What European countries have you visited?

the territory of a nation.

the people of a district, state, or nation: The whole country backed the president in his decision.

the land of one's birth or citizenship.

rural districts, including farmland, parkland, and other sparsely populated areas, as opposed to cities or towns: Many city dwellers like to spend their vacations in the country.

any considerable territory demarcated by topographical conditions, by a distinctive population, etc.: mountainous country; the Amish country of Pennsylvania.

a tract of land considered apart from any geographical or political limits; region; district.

the public.

Law. the public at large, as represented by a jury.

country music.

adjective

of, from, or characteristic of the country; rural: a winding country road.

of, relating to, or associated with country music: That Nashville station plays country records all day long.

rude; unpolished; rustic: country manners.

of, from, or pertaining to a particular country.

Obsolete. of one's own country.

Idioms for country

go to the country, British. to dissolve a Parliament that has cast a majority vote disagreeing with the prime minister and cabinet and to call for the election of a new House of Commons. Also appeal to the country.

put oneself upon the/one's country, Law. to present one's cause formally before a jury.

Origin of country

1200–50; Middle English cuntree < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *( regiō) contrāta terrain opposite the viewer, equivalent to Latin contr(ā) counter³ + -āta, feminine of -ātus -ate¹; compare German Gegend region, derivative of gegen against

OTHER WORDS FROM country

in·ter·coun·try, adjective

Words nearby country

counting number, counting room, countless, countrified, countrify, country, country and western, country and western music, country blues, country club, country code

Example sentences from the Web for country

In that country at that moment, the Catholics have practically disappeared.

Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President |Pierre Assouline |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Elsewhere, courts throughout the country have placed limits on speech this year.

Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead |Luke O’Neil |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
“This is a federal mandate that is causing some real problems for schools across the country,” Kline told a CBS affiliate in July.

The Republican War on Kale |Patricia Murphy |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Charles “Father” Coughlin, a raving anti-Semite, was one of the most popular radio hosts in the country.

Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? |Emily Shire |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

In fact, Mexico buys and sells more US goods than any other country on the planet except for Canada.

Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting |Ruben Navarrette Jr. |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
There were numerous sheepfolds and two cattle pens, but the rest of the country round was quite open.

Taking Tales |W.H.G. Kingston
The country for five to ten miles to the east of our track appeared open and grassy, basalt being the prevailing rock.

Journals of Australian Explorations |A C and F T Gregory
The country abounds in reptiles, and the prevalent fishes are of the early kinds, having a cartilaginous structure.

Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation |Robert Chambers
It placed a little capital at his disposal, and capital is the one thing needed to make a fair start in anything in this country.

Rogues and Vagabonds |George R. Sims
He has also pointed out another index to insect climates, borrowed from the Flora of a country.

An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4) |William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for country

country

/ (ˈkʌntrɪ) /

noun plural -tries

a territory distinguished by its people, culture, language, geography, etc

an area of land distinguished by its political autonomy; state

the people of a territory or state the whole country rebelled

an area associated with a particular person Burns country

the part of the land that is away from cities or industrial areas; rural districts
(as modifier)country cottage
(in combination)a countryman

Related adjective: pastoral, rural

short for country music

archaic a particular locality or district

up country away from the coast or the capital

one's native land or nation of citizenship

the country British informal the outlying area or area furthest from the finish of a sports ground or racecourse

(modifier) rough; uncouth; rustic country manners

across country not keeping to roads, etc

go to the country or appeal to the country mainly British to dissolve Parliament and hold an election

unknown country an unfamiliar topic, place, matter, etc

Word Origin for country

C13: from Old French contrée, from Medieval Latin contrāta, literally: that which lies opposite, from Latin contrā opposite

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

country

noun, plural coun·tries.

adjective

Idioms for country

Origin of country

OTHER WORDS FROM country

Words nearby country

Example sentences from the Web for country

British Dictionary definitions for country

noun plural -tries

Word Origin for country

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

country

noun, plural coun·tries.

adjective

Idioms for country

Origin of country

OTHER WORDS FROM country

Words nearby country

Words related to country

Example sentences from the Web for country

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for country

noun plural -tries

Word Origin for country

British Dictionary definitions for country