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

Life The unknown linguistic laws that apply to all life Linguistic laws are remarkably versatile and have applications in ecology, microbiology, epidemiology, demographics, and geography. —Big Think, 24 June 2024

One of the most distinctive features of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, is its geography–its surface is decorated with rivers, lakes, and seas. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 20 June 2024

The reason for the switch can be seen in geography. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 June 2024

Trump's final pick could play a pivotal role in bringing key demographics to his corner: race, gender, experience, wealth, geography and loyalty will all influence his decision-making. —Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 18 June 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