mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

mainlander

ˈmān-ˌlan-dər 

-lən-

noun

Synonyms

• continent
• landmass
• main

Examples of mainland in a Sentence

the boat back to the mainland leaves once every two days

Recent Examples on the Web

Food and water had to be brought in from the mainland. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 7 May 2025

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.37% while mainland China’s CSI 300 added 0.56% to close at 3,852.90. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 7 May 2025

But even then, its sales came almost entirely from mainland China. —Jill Colvin, Arkansas Online, 6 May 2025

The bridge between the island of Sicily and the Italian mainland would cross over the Strait of Messina, a distance of 3,300 meters, though the construction has to grapple with tectonic activity that could cause earthquakes. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mainland

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

mainland

noun

main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

: a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

mainlander noun

Geographical Definition

Mainland

geographical name

Main·​land ˈmān-ˌland 

-lənd

1

honshu

2

island in northern Scotland; largest of the Orkney Islands

3

island in northern Scotland; largest of the Shetland Islands