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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

mainland

/ˈmeɪnlənd/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does mainland mean?

noun

  1. The continent; the principal land, as distinguished from islands or a peninsula.
  2. The principal island of a group.
  3. Great Britain.
More meanings (3)

proper noun

  1. The largest island in the Orkney Islands council area, to the north of Scotland.
  2. The largest island in the Shetland Islands council area, to the north of both Orkney and Scotland.
  3. (historical) A historical region of British Columbia, British North America, British Empire.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ˈmeɪnlənd/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

The road, after the two wayfarers had crossed from the Peninsula to the mainland, was no other than a footpath.
Nathaniel HawthorneThe Scarlet LetterProject Gutenberg ebook #33
This is a broad channel lying between the mainland and a line of islands which extends some distance beyond the city.
Henry Walter BatesThe Naturalist on the River AmazonsProject Gutenberg ebook #2440
More book examples (3)
This time the sun was shining on the mainland and on the extension of the glacier past the bluff to the north.
Douglas, Sir MawsonThe Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914Project Gutenberg ebook #6137
When we neared the mainland of Anadoli the gale ceased, and a favourable breeze sprung up, which brought us off Cyprus once more.
Alexander William KinglakeEothen; Or, Traces of Travel Brought Home from the EastProject Gutenberg ebook #282
Compare on a Geographical map, islands which, we have SEVERAL reasons to suppose, were connected with mainland, as Sardinia, and how different it appears.
Charles DarwinLife and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1Project Gutenberg ebook #2087