no man's land
The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targetedThe ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted.
» My personal beliefs put me in no man's land.
DJ_Saidez · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
5 languagesExamples
4 sentencesMeaning
10 senses(countable, uncountable)The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted.
Near-synonym: kill zone
Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
(countable, uncountable)The stretch of land between the border posts of two contiguous sovereign states, sometimes separated by great distance.
Niemandsland
(countable, uncountable)A space amidships used to keep blocks, ropes, etc.; a space on a ship belonging to no one in particular for which to care.
More meanings 7
(countable, uncountable)The part of a prison, hospital complex, etc. where individuals are not normally allowed to enter.
(countable, figuratively, uncountable)A place where no one can or should be present.
Niemandsland
(countable, uncountable)The area between the backcourt and the space close to the net, from which it is difficult to return the ball.
(countable, uncountable)An area of the field where a fielder cannot save a single, nor stop a boundary.
Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
(countable, historical, uncountable)Tracts of uninhabited territory close to the Iron Curtain.
(countable, uncountable)Land that is not claimed by any recognized sovereign state; a terra nullius.
(countable, uncountable)The fibrous sheath of the flexor tendons of the hand, specifically in the zone from the distal palmar crease to the proximal interphalangeal joint.
- an unoccupied area between the front lines of opposing armies
- land that is unowned and uninhabited (and usually undesirable)
- the ambiguous region between two categories or states or conditions (usually containing some features of both)
Origin
Originally from Middle English Nomanneslond (“an area of land outside of London utilised fOriginally from Middle English Nomanneslond (“an area of land outside of London utilised for executions; a swath of unowned or undesirable land; land that is subject to legal dispute”), which is first attested c. 1350 and equivalent to no man (“no one, nobody”) + -'s + land.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: no man's landsSynonyms
2 synonyms- the ambiguous region between two categories or states or conditions (usually containing some features of both):twilight zone
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.