1
a(1)
: nationality sense 5a
three Slav peoples … forged into a Yugoslavia without really fusing into a Yugoslav nation—
Hans Kohn
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)
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
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
Mary K. Hammond2
archaic
: group, aggregation
3
: a tribe or federation of tribes (as of American Indians)
the Seminole Nation in Oklahoma
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
There are just around 100 HBCUs, but a full 40% of our nation’s Black engineers, 80% of Black judges, and 50% of Black professors at non-HBCUs graduated from an HBCU.
—Aimée Eubanks Davis, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
By comparison, Kiel found European nations have all together allocated around $138 billion to Ukraine.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
The eastern European nation has continued to fight back, with support from the U.S. and European allies.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
By stripping individuals of their right to legal recourse based on immigration status, this legislation reopens wounds from our nation's past, where the humanity of certain groups was denied under the law.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nation
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Aimée Eubanks Davis, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
By comparison, Kiel found European nations have all together allocated around $138 billion to Ukraine.
—Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
The eastern European nation has continued to fight back, with support from the U.S. and European allies.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2025
By stripping individuals of their right to legal recourse based on immigration status, this legislation reopens wounds from our nation's past, where the humanity of certain groups was denied under the law.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nation
Articles Related to nation
Cite this Entry
“Nation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nation. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nation
noun
na·tion
ˈnā-shən 
2
: a community of people composed of one or more nationalities usually with its own territory and government
3
: the territory of a nation
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