country
[noun]
Synonyms:
- nation, commonwealth, kingdom, people, realm, state
- territory, land, region, terrain
- people, citizens, community, inhabitants, nation, populace, public, society
- countryside, backwoods, farmland, green belt, outback (Austral. & N.Z.), provinces, sticks (informal)

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English Thesaurus: country, nation, state, power, superpower, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. coun‧try¹ S1 W1 /ˈkʌntri/ noun (plural countries)
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: contrée, from Medieval Latin contrata '(land) which lies opposite', from Latin contra; ⇒ contra-]

1. [countable] an area of land that is controlled by its own government, president, king etc ⇒ nation:
the Scandinavian countries
developing countries
travelling to a foreign country ⇒ mother country

2. the country
a) land that is outside towns and cities, including land used for farming Synonym : the countryside
in the country
I’ve always wanted to live in the country.
b) all the people who live in a particular country:
The President has the support of the country.

3. [uncountable] an area of land that is suitable for a particular activity, has particular features, or is connected with a particular person or people:
The Peak District is good walking country.
mountainous country
the rugged moors of Brontë country

4. [uncountable] country and western music:
I’m a big fan of country.

5. go to the country British English if a prime minister goes to the country, they ask for a general election to be held

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. country² adjective [only before noun]

1. belonging to or connected with the countryside Synonym : rural Antonym : urban:
They much preferred country life to life in the city.

2. relating to country and western music:
a country singer

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

country
noun
I. area of land with its own government
ADJ. beautiful, fascinating, great this great country of ours
hot, tropical | temperate | cold | foreign, overseas, strange It's difficult to live in a foreign country when you don't speak the language. students from overseas countries What must it be like, to grow old in a strange country?
home, native | adopted Many refugee servicemen gave their lives for their adopted country.
host The refugees do jobs that workers in the host country refuse to do.
neighbouring | distant, far, faraway | independent | occupied | free ‘It's a free country!’ he shouted. ‘I can do what I like.’
enemy, friendly | neutral, non-aligned | Arab, African, etc. | Eastern, Western, etc. | Anglophone, English-speaking, etc. | EU, NATO, etc. | member, non-member OECD member countries
developed, industrial/industrialized | developing, Thirld World, underdeveloped industrially backward countries
advanced economically advanced countries
backward | low-income, poor | affluent, rich | capitalist, communist, democratic, socialist | Catholic, Muslim, etc. | oil-exporting, oil-producing
VERB + COUNTRY govern, rule, run The country was ruled by a brutal dictatorship. the politicians who run the country
lead He accused the government of leading the country to disaster.
divide, split The issue of the single currency has divided the country.
flee, leave The former president has been forced to flee the country.
serve | love He loved his country deeply.
betray | play for, represent She represented her country at the Sydney Olympics.
tour, travel, visit He travelled the country on his motorbike.
COUNTRY + VERB border sth countries bordering the Black Sea
export sth, import sth The country exports around 80% of its output.
agree sth, sign sth The two countries signed a basic treaty of cooperation.
PREP. across a/the ~ travelling across the country
all over a/the ~ They are holding special events all over the country.
around/round a/the ~ This is just one of 30 sites around the country.
in a/the ~ people who live in this country
throughout a/the ~ New schools are being built throughout the country.
PHRASES country of origin All goods must be clearly labelled with their country of origin.
a part of a country There will be rain in many parts of the country tomorrow.
the country as a whole The rich benefited from the reforms, not the country as a whole.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

country
II. area of land with particular features
ADJ. desert, hill/hilly, mountain/mountainous, open, wooded The village is surrounded by miles and miles of open country.
rough, wild | farming This part of Africa is rich farming country.
hunting, walking superb walking country
QUANT. stretch, tract a beautiful stretch of country Whole tracts of country, once fertile, have become arid.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

country
III. land away from towns/cities
COUNTRY + NOUN life | air | lane, road | area, district | town, village | cottage, estate, home, house, mansion, residence, retreat, seat | park | walk | boy, girl | gentleman, squire | dweller, folk, people
PREP. across ~ riding across country
in the ~ She lives in the country.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

country

a foreign country (=not your own country)
Have you ever worked in a foreign country?
a strange country (=not your own country)
She was in a strange country, with no friends and no family.
a European/African/Asian etc country
The President will be visiting four European countries.
a democratic/capitalist/communist etc country
the former socialist countries of Eastern Europe
your home/native country (=where you were born or live permanently)
After five years in America, she returned to her home country, Japan.
a developing/Third World country (=poor and trying to increase its industry and trade)
Many developing countries receive some foreign aid.
a developed country (=rich and where most people have a comfortable life)
Developed countries are responsible for most emissions of carbon dioxide.
an underdeveloped country (=poor and developing more slowly than others)
The disease still exists, mainly in underdeveloped countries.
an industrialized country
America and other industrialized countries
an advanced country
technologically advanced countries such as Japan
a Christian/Muslim/Catholic etc country
England became a Christian country in the seventh century.
your adopted country (=that you have chosen to live in permanently)
I felt proud of my adopted country, America.
a great country (=important, with many past achievements)
the great countries of Europe
an independent country (=not controlled by another country)
Malaysia has been an independent country since 1963.
an occupied country (=controlled by an army from another country)
For many years, Egypt was an occupied country.
a free country (=where people’s actions are not too restricted)
You can go where you like – it’s a free country.
a member country (=belonging to a particular international organization)
the member countries of the European Community
the host country (=where an event is held)
Which is the host country for the next Olympic Games?
run/govern the country (=officially control a country)
The government has the job of running the country.
rule a country (=have complete control of a country)
For a long time the country was ruled by military dictators.
leave the country
The journalists were given 24 hours to leave the country.
flee the country (=leave it very quickly to avoid trouble)
At the outbreak of the war, many people fled the country.
serve your country (=work for your country in an official way)
Remember those who are serving our country as soldiers, sailors, and airmen.
lead the country
She became the first woman to lead the country.
represent your country
It’s a great honour to be chosen to represent your country in a sport.
betray your country (=be disloyal, especially by giving secrets to other countries)
He betrayed his country for the sake of communism.
sb’s/sth’s country of origin (=where you were born or live permanently, or where something was produced)
Please give your name, age, and country of origin.
open country (=away from towns, and with few buildings, walls, trees etc)
We left the city and headed towards the open country in the north.
wild country (=not used or farmed by people)
I love the wild country of the Scottish Highlands.
rough country (=difficult to travel over)
a vehicle especially designed for rough country
walking/riding/farming etc country
To the east is an area of rich farming country.
mountain/mountainous country
a vast stretch of mountain country
hill/hilly country
He grew up in Texas hill country.
wooded country (=with a lot of trees)
They escaped through hilly, wooded country.
desert country
Not much grows in this desert country.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

country an area of land controlled by its own government, president, king etc:
Thailand is a beautiful country.
Which country would you most like to visit?
nation a country, considered especially in relation to its people and its political and economic structure:
The events shocked the whole nation.
The US is the most powerful nation in the world.
Leaders of the world’s major industrialized nations attended the meeting.
state a country considered as a political organization with its own government:
They believe that Scotland should be an independent sovereign state.
Most European states joined the Council of Europe.
power a country that is very strong and important:
a meeting of the great powers
Britain is still a world power.
superpower one of the most powerful countries in the world:
During the Cuban Missile Crisis there was a real danger of conflict between the two world superpowers.
land literary a country – used in stories:
He told them about his journeys to foreign lands.
a traveller from a far-off land

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

countryside noun [uncountable] an area away from towns and cities, where there are fields, forests etc – used especially when talking about the natural beauty of this kind of area:
The walk takes you through some beautiful countryside.
The countryside changes in winter.
the country noun [singular] the area away from towns and cities, where there are fields, forests etc:
Tired of city life, they moved to the country.
I've always wanted to live in the country.
landscape noun [countable usually singular] a large area of countryside that you see from somewhere:
The house looks out over a peaceful rural landscape.
Adams is famous for his photographs of the American landscape.
scenery noun [uncountable] the natural features of part of a country, such as mountains, forests etc, especially when these are attractive:
New Zealand has some spectacular scenery.
wilderness noun [uncountable and countable] a large area of land that has never been developed or farmed:
Yukon is a vast wilderness of mountains, lakes, and forests.
the bush noun [singular] wild country that has not been cleared, especially in Australia or Africa:
The camp is popular with tourists wishing to experience the African bush.
rural adjective relating to the country:
People are moving away from rural areas.
rural communities

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲