peninsula

noun

pen·​in·​su·​la pə-ˈnin(t)-s(ə-)lə  -shə-lə 

: a portion of land nearly surrounded by water and connected with a larger body by an isthmus

also : a piece of land jutting out into the water whether with or without a well-defined isthmus

the Italian peninsula

peninsular

pə-ˈnin(t)-s(ə-)lər 

-shə-lər

adjective

Synonyms

• arm
• cape
• foreland
• headland
• ness
• point
• promontory
• spit

Examples of peninsula in a Sentence

They built their house on a narrow peninsula.

the peninsula is constantly buffeted by storms

Recent Examples on the Web

The war was wide-ranging, with battles waged across the Mediterranean—in northern Africa, in Greece and Italy, and on the Iberian peninsula. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 20 June 2025

Unfolding over 18 acres on a private peninsula between Marechal Beach and Grand Cul-de-Sac lagoon. —Melinda Sheckells, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025

Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva Russia has now agreed to help North Korea set up sites on the divided peninsula to manufacture Shahed drones, said Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Kyiv's GUR military intelligence agency. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

Tropical Storm Cosme formed June 8, about 665 miles south of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the hurricane center said. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 10 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin paeninsula, from paene almost + insula island

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for peninsula

• insole
• insula

Kids Definition

peninsula

noun

pen·​in·​su·​la pə-ˈnin(t)-s(ə-)lə  -ˈnin-chə-lə 

: a piece of land nearly surrounded by water or sticking out into the water

peninsular

-s(ə-)lər 

-chə-lər

adjective

Etymology

from Latin paeninsula "peninsula," from paene- "almost" and insula "island" — related to insulate, isle, isolate