geography

noun

ge·​og·​ra·​phy jē-ˈä-grə-fē How to pronounce geography (audio)
plural geographies
1
: a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface
2
: the geographic features of an area
3
: a treatise on geography
4
a
: a delineation or systematic arrangement of constituent elements : configuration
the philosophers … have tried to construct geographies of human reasonTimes Literary Supplement
b
: makeup sense 1
her emotional geography

Examples of geography in a Sentence

studying the geography of the western United States the geography of the region matches ancient descriptions of the location of the lost city
Recent Examples on the Web The geography of the threats not only includes the downtown security zone but all of Milwaukee and its neighboring cities, Cohen said. Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 6 Mar. 2024 The institution shifted across the expanding political geography of Islam, moving from Arabia to the venerable cities of Damascus, Syria, and Baghdad and later to Egypt. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 The reasons why vary, as some have opted out due to factors related to respective environment or geography. Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 Beyond money and geography, there is another important difference between India and China as competitors, one that was illustrated during the Maldives’ flare-up with India earlier this year. Maahil Mohamed Elke Scholiers, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 To be sure, this geography includes Canada in addition to the U.S. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024 External conditions varied with the geography and changed over time. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Democratic solidarity is great, but geography is stubborn. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Self-evidently, while the first phase had the advantage of both geography as well as not insignificant amounts of public investment, the second phase focuses on providing the legal and institutional stability of other hubs such as Switzerland. Radu Magdin, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'geography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin geographia, from Greek geōgraphia, from geōgraphein to describe the earth's surface, from geō- + graphein to write — more at carve

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of geography was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near geography

Cite this Entry

“Geography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/geography. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

geography

noun
ge·​og·​ra·​phy jē-ˈäg-rə-fē How to pronounce geography (audio)
plural geographies
1
: a science that deals with the location of living and nonliving things on earth and the way they affect one another
2
: the natural parts of an area
the geography of the western U.S.
geographer
-fər
noun
geographic
ˌjē-ə-ˈgraf-ik
adjective
or geographical
-i-kəl
geographically
-i-k(ə-)lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on geography

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