nation

nation — noun

1. A country regarded as a body of citizens sharing the same government, cultural t

1.nounB1
Definition

A country regarded as a body of citizens sharing the same government, cultural traditions, and historical roots within a fixed territory.

Example

The president addressed the nation from the capital, asking citizens to stay united.

collocation: address the nation

After the floods, the whole nation raised money to support the affected families.

collocation: the whole nation + collective action

Common collocations
  • address the nation
  • the whole nation
  • across the nation
  • the nation's capital
  • the nation's economy
  • nation-building
  • a nation of [people]
Synonyms
  • country

    everyday term, focuses on land and government

  • state

    more formal and political, emphasises legal and governing structures

  • land

    more poetic or emotional, less precise

  • power

    used in global politics to mean a strong or influential nation

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

the whole + nation (collective)

the [adjective] nation

the nation + [singular/plural verb]

Usage Note

The most common sense of nation. Frequently used with the whole + nation ('the whole nation celebrated'). Takes a singular verb when treated as a unit ('the nation is divided') or a plural verb when emphasising individual people ('the nation are united in their grief').

Common Mistakes

Taiwan is a small nation in terms of land area.
Taiwan is a small country in terms of land area.
Use 'country' for land size and physical geography; use 'nation' to focus on the people and shared identity.
France is a nation in Western Europe.
France is a country in Western Europe.
'Country' is the everyday word for a political-geographical unit; 'nation' carries a stronger emotional and cultural meaning.

2. Any sizeable community whose members share a common ethnic origin, language, and

2.nounB2
Definition

Any sizeable community whose members share a common ethnic origin, language, and cultural heritage, even if they are spread across different countries.

Example

The Kurdish nation stretches across several Middle Eastern countries, each with its own government.

collocation: nation stretches across [countries]

Hari's nation has kept its language alive for more than a thousand years.

pattern: one's nation has kept [something] alive

Common collocations
  • a nation without a state
  • a stateless nation
  • the [ethnic] nation
  • a dispersed nation
Synonyms
  • people

    less formal and broader; 'a people' means a group sharing identity

  • ethnic group

    more academic, emphasises cultural and ancestral ties

  • race

    dated or controversial; now avoided in precise writing

Grammar Patterns

the [ethnic adjective] nation

a nation of [people]

nation without a state

Usage Note

This sense focuses on cultural and ethnic bonds rather than political borders. The group may be spread across multiple countries or have no independent state. Common in academic and political writing about minority groups and stateless peoples.

Common Mistakes

The Chinese nation lives in China.
The Chinese nation includes people living all over the world.
This sense does not require a single territory; a nation in this meaning can be spread across many countries.
The Jewish nation is a religion, not a people.
The Jewish nation is both a religious and an ethnic group with shared history and traditions.
'Nation' here refers to a people group, not a state, and can include religious, cultural, and ethnic dimensions.

3. A self-governing community of Indigenous peoples, such as a Native American trib

3.nounC1
Definition

A self-governing community of Indigenous peoples, such as a Native American tribe or a union of several tribes, that exercises political authority over its members and territory.

Example

The Navajo Nation runs its own government, police force, and schools.

collocation: [Name] Nation has its own [government/institutions]

Delegates from several Indigenous nations met in Ottawa to discuss land rights and water protection.

Common collocations
  • the [Name] Nation
  • Indigenous nation
  • sovereign nation
  • First Nations
  • tribal nation
  • a federation of nations
Synonyms
  • tribe

    more specific to kinship structure; less emphasis on sovereignty

  • First Nation

    Canadian term for Indigenous communities

  • people

    generic term, avoids political nuance

Grammar Patterns

the [Name] Nation

[number] Indigenous nations

[Name] is a nation

Usage Note

Chiefly used for Indigenous peoples in North America. Capitalised when part of a proper name (Navajo Nation, Hopi Nation). The word tribe may refer to a smaller kinship-based unit; nation emphasises political sovereignty and self-government. Also used in Canadian contexts (First Nations).

Common Mistakes

The Navajo Nation is just a tribe with no real government.
The Navajo Nation is a sovereign Indigenous government with its own laws, courts, and police.
'Nation' in this sense carries the idea of self-rule and political organisation, not just shared ancestry.
All Indigenous nations are the same as Native American tribes.
Many Indigenous nations include multiple tribes, and the term nation highlights their political sovereignty.
'Tribe' and 'nation' are not interchangeable in all contexts.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Country is the most general and everyday word for a geographical area with its own government and borders (Canada is a large country). State has a more legal and political tone, often referring to the governing institutions (the state provides public education). Nation adds an emotional and cultural dimension — it suggests the people who share history, language, and identity (the French nation takes pride in its cuisine). Land is poetic or literary, focusing on territory and natural features rather than people or government (a land of mountains and lakes). Territory stresses the physical area under control, often without the idea of a unified people or culture (the disputed territory between the two armies). Choose country for neutral reference, state for government functions, and nation when you want to highlight shared identity and belonging.

country ↗state ↗land ↗territory ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • nation-state
  • nation-building
  • nationhood
  • United Nations
  • nationwide campaign

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a nation of immigrants
  • the world's nations
  • one nation under God
  • nation of laws

Prepositions

  • across the nation
  • throughout the nation
  • within a nation
  • among nations
  • between nations

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Nation comes from the Latin word natio, meaning 'birth', 'race', or 'people', which in turn comes from nasci, meaning 'to be born'. In Latin a natio was a group of people linked by the same place of birth or ancestry — not necessarily a political unit. The word entered English through Old French nacion in the 13th century, at first keeping the older meaning of a group linked by shared origin. Over time it broadened from a tribal or kinship group to any large community of people with common institutions and territory, and eventually to the modern idea of a sovereign state.