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

The library’s collection encompasses all of La Jolla and is divided into sections by geography and subject matter. —Robert Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025

The Aurora Police Department currently splits its efforts among different beats, which similar to Aurora City Council wards divide up the city based on geography and police calls, and these will also be considered under the study to see if changes need to be made, Rowley said. —R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025

Imagine a rectangle on the oldest Map in these nine squares of geography Once called a wilderness. —Reginald Dwayne Betts, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2025

The study also suggested young fans were more inclined to research a game and thus learn the history and geography of a particular team or city. —Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 5 Feb. 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