nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

a(1)

: nationality sense 5a

three Slav peoples … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation

—Hans Kohn

(2)

: a politically organized nationality

(3)

in the Bible : a non-Jewish nationality

why do the nations conspire

—Psalms 2:1 (Revised Standard Version)

b

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities and possessing a more or less defined territory and government

Canada is a nation with a written constitution

—B. K. Sandwell

c

: a territorial division containing a body of people of one or more nationalities and usually characterized by relatively large size and independent status

a nation of vast size with a small population

—Mary K. Hammond

2

archaic : group, aggregation

3

: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of American Indians)

the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma

Synonyms

• commonwealth
• country
• land
• sovereignty
• sovranty
• state

Examples of nation in a Sentence

It's one of the richest nations in the world.

the largest state in the nation

The President will speak to the nation tonight.

The entire nation is celebrating the victory.

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather, Temple University, situated just a few miles northeast of Penn in our nation’s birthplace, has been the site of a startling set of antisemitic incidents in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel. —Tal Fortgang, National Review, 21 Dec. 2024

While early imperial aristocrats saw provincials as subject nations with their own cultures, their working-class replacements considered Romans a single people and expected all to share the same values. —Jeffrey E. Schulman / Made By History, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024

According to the Pentagon's map, Chinese naval vessels made port calls at every country in the South China Sea this year, where Beijing's sovereign claims overlap with those of regional nations, including the Philippines, an American security ally, and Vietnam. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024

Americans still have the shortest life expectancy compared to residents of other wealthy nations. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English nacioun, from Anglo-French naciun, from Latin nation-, natio birth, race, nation, from nasci to be born; akin to Latin gignere to beget — more at kin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing nation

• nation-state
• the nation

Kids Definition

nation

noun

na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

1

: nationality sense 3

2

: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government

3

: the territory of a nation

Biographical Definition

Nation

biographical name

Na·​tion ˈnā-shən 

Car*ry ˈker-ē 

ˈka-rē

Amelia 1846–1911 née Moore American temperance agitator