nation
[noun]
Synonyms: country, people, race, realm, society, state, tribe

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

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Nation, Car‧rie /ˈkæri/
(1846–1911) a US woman who strongly believed that people should not drink alcohol. She tried to stop them by going into bars and damaging furniture and bottles with a hatchet.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

na‧tion S3 W2 /ˈneɪʃən/ noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: nation, national, multinational, nationalism, nationalist, nationality, nationalization, nationhood, international, internationalism, internationalist, internationalization; adjective: national, international, multinational, nationalist, nationalistic, nationalized, internationalist; verb: nationalize, internationalize; adverb: nationally, internationally]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: French; Origin: Latin natio, from natus, past participle of nasci 'to be born']

1. a country, considered especially in relation to its people and its social or economic structure:
the President’s radio broadcast to the nation
an independent nation
the world’s leading industrial nations

2. a large group of people of the same race and language:
the Cherokee nation

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

nation
noun
ADJ. large | little, small | major | great, leading, powerful, strong | advanced, developed, industrial, industrialized | developing, emergent, emerging, less-developed, Third World | affluent, prosperous, rich, wealthy the richest nation on earth
poor | civilized | backward | new | young | ancient, old | free, independent, sovereign | democratic | capitalist | united | divided | entire, whole The entire nation mourned her death.
foreign | Western the imperialist expansion of Western nations in the 1880s
Arab, European, French, etc. | maritime, oil-producing, trading | nuclear | creditor, debtor In 1950 the UK was the world's largest debtor nation and the US the largest creditor.
host France was host nation for the 1998 World Cup.
member the member nations of the UN
VERB + NATION create They wanted to create a new nation.
unite The fight against terrorism seemed to unite the nation.
divide | govern, lead | shock the savage murder that shocked the nation
NATION + NOUN building The biggest task of the government was to address national unity and nation building.
state
PREP. across a/the ~ swings in public opinion across the nation
among ~ economic inequality among the nations of the world
in/within a/the ~ In the nation as a whole there is no desire for war.
~ of They are a nation of food lovers.
PHRASES the birth of a nation, the interests of a nation, the life of a nation They hoped that the exhibition would enhance the cultural life of the nation.
the nation as a whole, the nation at large The new economic policies were in the best interests of the nation at large.
the nations of the world

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

nation

a great/powerful nation
The United States is the most powerful nation in the world.
an independent/sovereign nation (=one that rules itself, rather than being run by another country)
Countries that were once colonies of Britain are now independent nations.
an industrial/industrialized nation
The rich industrial nations dominate the global economy.
a developed/advanced nation (=one that has many industries)
In the developed nations, many students go on to university.
a developing/emerging nation (=one that is starting to have more industry)
Food shortages are often a problem in developing nations.
a rich/wealthy nation
Most tourists come from the wealthy nations of the world.
a poor nation
The high cost of medicines in poor nations prevents many citizens from receiving health care.
lead a nation
He led the nation out of a depression and into a period of growth and prosperity.
face a nation
There are many problems facing our nation.
unite a nation (=make everyone in a country agree)
The crisis seemed to unite the nation.
divide a nation (=make people in a nation disagree)
The war has divided the nation.
shock a nation (=make everyone in a nation feel shocked)
This terrible crime has shocked the whole nation.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

nation
noun
BAD: It's hard to tell which nation he comes from.
GOOD: It's hard to tell which country he comes from.

Usage Note:
A person comes from, lives in, feels part of, etc a particular country (NOT nation ): 'Some people in this country think that the leadership is too weak.' 'People living in former Soviet bloc countries are undergoing a difficult period of transition.'
Nation is less common than country and is mainly used when a country is considered as a political or economic structure: 'Japan has become the richest nation in the world.' 'Representatives from the world's leading industrial nations will meet next month in Geneva.'
Note the alternative: 'I couldn't tell his nationality.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

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 ▲

race one of the main groups of people in the world, who have the same colour of skin and other physical features:
Everybody should be treated equally regardless of their race or sex.
race relations (=the relationship between people of different races)
nation a country and its people, or a group of people with the same history and language:
Japan has become one of the richest nations in the world.
Our dream is for a united Arab nation.
people the people who belong to a particular country, race, or area. The plural of this meaning of people is peoples:
the American people
the native peoples of the islands
tribe a group of people in a country who are the same race, with the same traditional way of life and the same leader:
a tribe in Papua New Guinea
Bedouin tribes
ethnic group a group of people of the same race, nation, or tribe:
Within Namibia there are more than a dozen different ethnic groups.
the needs of minority ethnic groups

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲