geography

noun

ge·​og·​ra·​phy jē-ˈä-grə-fē 

plural geographies

1

: a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface

2

: the geographic features of an area

3

: a treatise on geography

4

a

: a delineation or systematic arrangement of constituent elements : configuration

the philosophers … have tried to construct geographies of human reason

—Times Literary Supplement

b

: makeup sense 1

her emotional geography

Synonyms

• chorography
• geomorphology
• landscape
• terrain
• topography

Examples of geography in a Sentence

studying the geography of the western United States

the geography of the region matches ancient descriptions of the location of the lost city

Recent Examples on the Web

Soils and Geology of Temecula Valley The unique geography and geology of Temecula Valley play a significant role in shaping the region’s terroir. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025

Editor’s picks The geography of the Pacific Palisades caused another difficulty in efforts to combat the flames: its hilly landscape covers elevations from sea level up to 1,500 feet, and water pressure in those higher places fell as the tanks were used up. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2025

Wells’ initial direction at least orients the viewer in the physical sense, establishing the geography of the ER as the show’s expansive, yet limited, setting. —Alison Herman, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025

These winds are a result of local geography and a particular meteorological setup in which a high-pressure system sits over the Great Basin in the interior of the U.S. West and a low-pressure system hangs over California or offshore. —Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin geographia, from Greek geōgraphia, from geōgraphein to describe the earth's surface, from geō- + graphein to write — more at carve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing geography

• dialect geography
• linguistic geography
• physical geography

Kids Definition

geography

noun

ge·​og·​ra·​phy jē-ˈäg-rə-fē 

plural geographies

1

: a science that deals with the location of living and nonliving things on earth and the way they affect one another

2

: the natural parts of an area

the geography of the western U.S.

geographer

-fər

noun

geographic

ˌjē-ə-ˈgraf-ik

adjective

or geographical

-i-kəl

geographically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb