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

While the baby and toddler crates are generalized, older kids have their choice of themes: science, engineering, art, and geography. —Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 10 Dec. 2024

But mostly, what the rich women did was go on a trip to Oceanside, California, which, for those without intimate knowledge of geography or the California coast, is between Orange County and San Diego. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2024

For those who are unfamiliar with Manhattan geography, Kips Bay is a delightfully random place for this to have taken place: a neighborhood that features a giant Trader Joe’s, luxury condos, and a high concentration of hospitals for some reason. —James Factora, Them, 27 Nov. 2024

While the price can vary depending on geography and your practitioner, here, all three sessions of Forever Clear cost $1,999 while three sessions of the CO2 and Excel V combined cost $2,980. —Emma Sandler, Allure, 26 Nov. 2024

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