Place vs. Land — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 18, 2024
Place refers to a specific location or position, while land denotes a part of the Earth's surface that is not covered by water.
Difference Between Place and Land
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Place denotes a particular location, position, or space, often used to describe where someone or something is situated. For example, a restaurant can be described as a place to eat. On the other hand, land refers to the solid surface of the Earth that is not covered by water, such as fields, mountains, or plots for construction.
Place can be more abstract, referring to a physical spot or a conceptual space, like a place in a community or hierarchy. Land, conversely, is more tangible, referring specifically to geographic areas and the soil or terrain itself.
When discussing ownership or property, a place can be any designated spot, like a parking place or a market place, while land usually refers to larger areas or tracts of property, like farmland or real estate.
Place is used more flexibly in everyday language to indicate spots, locations, or roles, such as "a quiet place" or "a place in history." Land is more commonly used in contexts involving geography, agriculture, and real estate, such as "fertile land" or "public land."
Place can refer to an individual's environment or surroundings, often with an emotional or social context, like "a safe place." Land usually pertains to the physical characteristics or legal aspects of a given area, like "protected land" or "land for sale."
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A specific location or position
Part of the Earth's surface not covered by water
Usage Context
More abstract or specific locations
Geographic areas and terrain
Ownership
Can refer to designated spots
Usually larger tracts of property
Everyday Language
Flexible for spots, locations, or roles
Common in geography, agriculture, real estate
Emotional/Social Context
Often refers to environment or surroundings
Pertains to physical/legal characteristics
Compare with Definitions
Place
A specific location or position.
This is a good place for a picnic.
Land
Rural or agricultural areas.
He worked the land for a living.
Place
A particular area or region.
He comes from a place far away.
Land
Land is the solid surface of Earth that is not permanently submerged in water. The vast majority of human activity throughout history has occurred in land areas that support agriculture, habitat, and various natural resources.
Place
A space reserved for a person or thing.
Please take your place at the table.
Land
A state of Germany or Austria.
Place
A position in a hierarchy or sequence.
She earned her place at the top of the class.
Land
Put (someone or something) on land from a boat
He landed his troops at Hastings
Place
A particular position, point, or area in space; a location
The monastery was a peaceful place
He would always have a special place in her heart
I can't be in two places at once
That street was no place for a lady
Land
Come down through the air and rest on the ground or another surface
We will shortly be landing at Gatwick
A fly landed on Tom's nose
Place
A portion of space designated or available for or being used by someone
Jackie had saved her a place
They hurried to their places at the table
Land
Cause someone to be in (a difficult situation)
His exploits always landed him in trouble
Place
A position in a sequence or series, typically one ordered on the basis of merit
His score left him in ninth place
Land
Inflict (a blow) on someone
I won the fight without landing a single punch
Place
A square or short street
The lecture theatre is in New Burlington Place
Land
The solid ground of the earth.
Place
Put in a particular position
A newspaper had been placed beside my plate
Land
Ground or soil
Tilled the land.
Place
Find a home or employment for
The children were placed with foster-parents
Land
A topographically or functionally distinct tract
Desert land.
Prime building land.
Place
Identify or classify as being of a specified type or as holding a specified position in a sequence or hierarchy
A survey placed the company 13th for achievement
Land
A nation; a country.
Place
Score (a goal) by a place kick.
Land
The people of a nation, district, or region.
Place
An area with definite or indefinite boundaries; a portion of space.
Land
Lands Territorial possessions or property.
Place
Room or space, especially adequate space
There is place for everyone at the back of the room.
Land
Public or private landed property; real estate.
Place
The particular portion of space occupied by or allocated to a person or thing.
Land
(Law) The solid material of the earth as well as the natural and manmade things attached to it and the rights and interests associated with it.
Place
A building or an area set aside for a specified purpose
A place of worship.
Land
An agricultural or farming area
Wanted to buy a house on the land.
Place
A dwelling; a house
Bought a place on the lake.
Land
Farming considered as a way of life.
Place
A business establishment or office.
Land
An area or realm
The land of make-believe.
The land of television.
Place
A locality, such as a town or city
Visited many places.
Land
The raised portion of a grooved surface, as on a phonograph record.
Place
Abbr. Pl. A public square or street with houses in a town.
Land
To bring to and unload on land
Land cargo.
Place
A space in which one person, such as a passenger or spectator, can sit or stand.
Land
To set (a vehicle) down on land or another surface
Land an airplane smoothly.
Land a seaplane on a lake.
Place
A setting for one person at a table.
Land
(Informal) To cause to arrive in a place or condition
Civil disobedience will land you in jail.
Place
A position regarded as belonging to someone or something else; stead
She was chosen in his place.
Land
To catch and pull in (a fish)
Landed a big catfish.
Place
A particular point that one has reached, as in a book
I have lost my place.
Land
(Informal) To win; secure
Land a big contract.
Place
A particular spot, as on the body
The place that hurts.
Land
(Informal) To deliver
Landed a blow on his opponent's head.
Place
The proper or designated role or function
The place of the media in a free society.
Land
To come to shore
Landed against the current with great difficulty.
Place
The proper or customary position or order
These books are out of place.
Land
To disembark
Landed at a crowded dock.
Place
A suitable setting or occasion
Not the place to argue.
Land
To descend toward and settle onto the ground or another surface
The helicopter has landed.
Place
The appropriate right or duty
Not her place to criticize.
Land
(Informal) To arrive in a place or condition
Landed at the theater too late for the opening curtain.
Landed in trouble for being late.
Place
Social station
He overstepped his place.
Land
To come to rest in a certain way or place
Slipped and landed on his shoulder.
Place
A particular situation or circumstance
Put yourself in my place.
Land
The part of Earth which is not covered by oceans or other bodies of water.
Most insects live on land.
Place
High rank or status.
Land
Real estate or landed property; a partitioned and measurable area which is owned and acquired and on which buildings and structures can be built and erected.
There are 50 acres of land in this estate.
Place
A job, post, or position
Found a place in the company.
Land
A country or region.
They come from a faraway land.
Place
Relative position in a series; standing.
Land
A person's country of origin and/or homeplace; homeland.
Place
(Games) Second position for betting purposes, as in a horserace.
Land
The soil, in respect to its nature or quality for farming.
Wet land; good or bad land for growing potatoes
Place
The specified stage in a list of points to be made, as in an argument
In the first place.
Land
Realm, domain.
I'm going to Disneyland.
Maybe that's how it works in TV-land, but not in the real world.
Place
(Mathematics) A position in a numeral or series.
Land
(agriculture) The ground left unploughed between furrows; any of several portions into which a field is divided for ploughing.
Place
To put in or as if in a particular place or position; set.
Land
A shock or fright.
He got an awful land when the police arrived.
Place
To put in a specified relation or order
Place the words in alphabetical order.
Land
(electronics) A conducting area on a board or chip which can be used for connecting wires.
Place
To offer for consideration
Placed the matter before the board.
Land
On a compact disc or similar recording medium, an area of the medium which does not have pits.
Place
To find accommodation or employment for.
Land
(travel) The non-airline portion of an itinerary. Hotel, tours, cruises, etc.
Our city offices sell a lot more land than our suburban offices.
Place
To put into a particular condition
Placed him under arrest.
Land
(obsolete) The ground or floor.
Place
To arrange for the publication or display of
Place an advertisement in the newspaper.
Land
(nautical) The lap of the strakes in a clinker-built boat; the lap of plates in an iron vessel; called also landing.
Place
To appoint to a post
Placed her in a key position.
Land
In any surface prepared with indentations, perforations, or grooves, that part of the surface which is not so treated, such as the level part of a millstone between the furrows.
Place
To rank in an order or sequence
I'd place him second best.
Land
(ballistics) The space between the rifling grooves in a gun.
Place
To estimate
Placed the distance at 100 feet.
Land
A group of dwellings or tenements under one roof and having a common entry.
Place
To identify or classify in a particular context
Could not place that person's face.
Land
Lant; urine
Place
To give an order for
Place a bet.
Land
(intransitive) To descend to a surface, especially from the air.
The plane is about to land.
Place
To apply or arrange for
Place an order.
Land
(dated) To alight, to descend from a vehicle.
Place
To make or obtain a connection for (a telephone call).
Land
(intransitive) To come into rest.
Place
To sell (a new issue of stock, bonds, or other securities).
Land
(intransitive) To arrive on land, especially a shore or dock, from a body of water.
Place
To adjust (one's voice) for the best possible effects.
Land
(transitive) To bring to land.
It can be tricky to land a helicopter.
Use the net to land the fish.
Place
To be among those who finish a competition or race, especially to finish second.
Land
To capture or arrest.
Place
(physical) An area; somewhere within an area.
Land
(transitive) To acquire; to secure.
Place
An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
Land
To succeed in having sexual relations with; to score
Too ugly to ever land a chick
Place
A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name.
They live at Westminster Place.
Land
(transitive) (of a blow) To deliver.
If you land a knockout blow, you’ll win the match
Place
An inhabited area: a village, town, or city.
Land
(intransitive) (of a punch) To connect
If the punches land, you might lose a few teeth!
Place
Any area of the earth: a region.
He is going back to his native place on vacation.
Land
(intransitive) To go down well with an audience.
Some of the comedian's jokes failed to land.
Place
The area one occupies, particularly somewhere to sit.
We asked the restaurant to give us a table with three places.
Land
Urine. See Lant.
Place
The area where one lives: one's home, formerly country estates and farms.
Do you want to come over to my place later?
Land
The solid part of the surface of the earth; - opposed to water as constituting a part of such surface, especially to oceans and seas; as, to sight land after a long voyage.
They turn their heads to sea, their sterns to land.
Place
An area of the body, especially the skin.
Which place hurts the most?
Land
Any portion, large or small, of the surface of the earth, considered by itself, or as belonging to an individual or a people, as a country, estate, farm, or tract.
Go view the land, even Jericho.
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,Where wealth accumulates and men decay.
A poor parson dwelling upon land [i.e., in the country].
Place
An area to urinate and defecate: an outhouse or lavatory.
Land
Ground, in respect to its nature or quality; soil; as, wet land; good or bad land.
Place
An area to fight: a battlefield or the contested ground in a battle.
Land
The inhabitants of a nation or people.
These answers, in the silent night received,The king himself divulged, the land believed.
Place
A location or position in space.
Land
The mainland, in distinction from islands.
Place
A particular location in a book or document, particularly the current location of a reader.
Land
The ground or floor.
Herself upon the land she did prostrate.
Place
A passage or extract from a book or document.
Land
The ground left unplowed between furrows; any one of several portions into which a field is divided for convenience in plowing.
Place
A topic.
Land
Any ground, soil, or earth whatsoever, as meadows, pastures, woods, etc., and everything annexed to it, whether by nature, as trees, water, etc., or by the hand of man, as buildings, fences, etc.; real estate.
Place
A state of mind.
I'm in a strange place at the moment.
Land
The lap of the strakes in a clinker-built boat; the lap of plates in an iron vessel; - called also landing.
Place
A chess position; a square of the chessboard.
Land
In any surface prepared with indentations, perforations, or grooves, that part of the surface which is not so treated, as the level part of a millstone between the furrows, or the surface of the bore of a rifled gun between the grooves.
Place
(social) A responsibility or position in an organization.
Land
To set or put on shore from a ship or other water craft; to disembark; to debark.
I 'll undertake to land them on our coast.
Place
A role or purpose; a station.
It is really not my place to say what is right and wrong in this case.
Land
To catch and bring to shore; to capture; as, to land a fish.
Place
The position of a contestant in a competition.
We thought we would win but only ended up in fourth place.
Land
To set down after conveying; to cause to fall, alight, or reach; to bring to the end of a course; as, he landed the quoit near the stake; to be thrown from a horse and landed in the mud; to land one in difficulties or mistakes.
Place
(horse-racing) The position of first, second, or third at the finish, especially the second position.
To win a bet on a horse for place
Land
To pilot (an airplane) from the air onto the land; as, to land the plane on a highway.
Place
The position as a member of a sports team.
He lost his place in the national team.
Land
To come to the end of a course; to arrive at a destination, literally or figuratively; as, he landed in trouble; after hithchiking for a week, he landed in Los Angeles.
Place
A fortified position: a fortress, citadel, or walled town.
Land
To go on shore from a ship or boat; to disembark.
Place
Numerically, the column counting a certain quantity.
Three decimal places;
The hundreds place
Land
To reach and come to rest on land after having been in the air; as, the arrow landed in a flower bed; the golf ball landed in a sand trap; our airplane landed in Washington.
Place
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding.
That's what I said in the first place!
Land
The land on which real estate is located;
He built the house on land leased from the city
Place
Reception; effect; implying the making room for.
Land
Material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use);
The land had never been plowed
Good agricultural soil
Place
(transitive) To put (an object or person) in a specific location.
He placed the glass on the table.
Land
The solid part of the earth's surface;
The plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land
The earth shook for several minutes
He dropped the logs on the ground
Place
(intransitive) To earn a given spot in a competition.
The Cowboys placed third in the league.
Land
Territory over which rule or control is exercised;
His domain extended into Europe
He made it the law of the land
Place
To finish second, especially of horses or dogs.
In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.
Land
The territory occupied by a nation;
He returned to the land of his birth
He visited several European countries
Place
To rank at (a certain position, often followed by an ordinal) as in a horse race.
Run Ragged was placed fourth in the race.
Land
A domain in which something is dominant;
The untroubled kingdom of reason
A land of make-believe
The rise of the realm of cotton in the south
Place
(transitive) To remember where and when (an object or person) has been previously encountered.
I've seen him before, but I can't quite place where.
Land
Extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use;
The family owned a large estate on Long Island
Place
(transitive) To sing (a note) with the correct pitch.
Land
The people who live in a nation or country;
A statement that sums up the nation's mood
The news was announced to the nation
The whole country worshipped him
Place
(transitive) To arrange for or to make (a bet).
I placed ten dollars on the Lakers beating the Bulls.
Land
A politically organized body of people under a single government;
The state has elected a new president
African nations
Students who had come to the nation's capitol
The country's largest manufacturer
An industrialized land
Place
(transitive) To establish a call connection by telephone or similar.
Land
United States inventor who incorporated Polaroid film into lenses and invented the one-step photographic process (1909-1991)
Place
(transitive) To recruit or match an appropriate person for a job, or a home for an animal for adoption, etc.
They phoned hoping to place her in the management team.
Land
Working the land as an occupation or way of life;
Farming is a strenuous life
There's no work on the land any more
Place
To place-kick (a goal).
Land
Reach or come to rest;
The bird landed on the highest branch
The plane landed in Istanbul
Place
Any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space.
Here is the place appointed.
What place can be for usWithin heaven's bound?
The word place has sometimes a more confused sense, and stands for that space which any body takes up; and so the universe is a place.
Land
Cause to come to the ground;
The pilot managed to land the airplane safely
Place
A broad way in a city; an open space; an area; a court or short part of a street open only at one end.
Land
Bring into a different state;
This may land you in jail
Place
A position which is occupied and held; a dwelling; a mansion; a village, town, or city; a fortified town or post; a stronghold; a region or country.
Are you native of this place?
Land
Bring ashore;
The drug smugglers landed the heroin on the beach of the island
Place
Rank; degree; grade; order of priority, advancement, dignity, or importance; especially, social rank or position; condition; also, official station; occupation; calling.
Men in great place are thrice servants.
I know my place as I would they should do theirs.
Land
Deliver (a blow);
He landed several blows on his opponent's head
Place
Vacated or relinquished space; room; stead (the departure or removal of another being or thing being implied).
Land
Arrive on shore;
The ship landed in Pearl Harbor
Place
A definite position or passage of a document.
The place of the scripture which he read was this.
Land
Shoot at and force to come down;
The enemy landed several of our aircraft
Place
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding; as, he said in the first place.
Land
Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on land;
Land vehicles
Sea stories
Sea smells
Sea traffic
Place
Reception; effect; - implying the making room for.
My word hath no place in you.
Land
Operating or living or growing in water;
Boats are aquatic vehicles
Water lilies are aquatic plants
Fish are aquatic animals
Place
Position in the heavens, as of a heavenly body; - usually defined by its right ascension and declination, or by its latitude and longitude.
Land
Solid part of the Earth's surface.
The plane landed on solid land.
Place
The position of first, second, or third at the finish, esp. the second position. In betting, to win a bet on a horse for place it must, in the United States, finish first or second, in England, usually, first, second, or third.
Land
An area of ground, especially in terms of its ownership or use.
They own several acres of land.
Place
To assign a place to; to put in a particular spot or place, or in a certain relative position; to direct to a particular place; to fix; to settle; to locate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis.
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown.
Land
A country or nation.
He traveled to a distant land.
Place
To put or set in a particular rank, office, or position; to surround with particular circumstances or relations in life; to appoint to certain station or condition of life; as, in whatever sphere one is placed.
Place such over them to be rulers.
Land
The surface of the earth that is not sea.
After months at sea, they finally saw land.
Place
To put out at interest; to invest; to loan; as, to place money in a bank.
Place
To set; to fix; to repose; as, to place confidence in a friend.
Place
To attribute; to ascribe; to set down.
Place it for her chief virtue.
Place
To determine or announce the place of at the finish. Usually, in horse racing only the first three horses are placed officially.
Place
To place-kick ( a goal).
Place
To recognize or identify (a person).
Place
A point located with respect to surface features of some region;
This is a nice place for a picnic
Place
Any area set aside for a particular purpose;
Who owns this place?
The president was concerned about the property across from the White House
Place
An abstract mental location;
He has a special place in my thoughts
A place in my heart
A political system with no place for the less prominent groups
Place
A general vicinity;
He comes from a place near Chicago
Place
The function or position properly or customarily occupied or served by another;
Can you go in my stead?
Took his place
In lieu of
Place
A particular situation;
If you were in my place what would you do?
Place
Where you live at a particular time;
Deliver the package to my home
He doesn't have a home to go to
Your place or mine?
Place
A job in an organization;
He occupied a post in the treasury
Place
The particular portion of space occupied by a physical object;
He put the lamp back in its place
Place
Proper or designated social situation;
He overstepped his place
The responsibilities of a man in his station
Married above her station
Place
A space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane);
He booked their seats in advance
He sat in someone else's place
Place
The passage that is being read;
He lost his place on the page
Place
Proper or appropriate position or location;
A woman's place is no longer in the kitchen
Place
A public square with room for pedestrians;
They met at Elm Plaza
Grosvenor Place
Place
An item on a list or in a sequence;
In the second place
Moved from third to fifth position
Place
A blank area;
Write your name in the space provided
Place
Put into a certain place or abstract location;
Put your things here
Set the tray down
Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children
Place emphasis on a certain point
Place
Place somebody in a particular situation or location;
He was placed on probation
Place
Assign a rank or rating to;
How would you rank these students?
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
Place
Assign a location to;
The company located some of their agents in Los Angeles
Place
To arrange for;
Place a phone call
Place a bet
Place
Take a place in a competition; often followed by an ordinal;
Jerry came in third in the Marathon
Place
Intend (something) to move towards a certain goal;
He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face
Criticism directed at her superior
Direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself
Place
Recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something;
She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster
Place
Assign to (a job or a home)
Place
Locate;
The film is set in Africa
Place
Estimate;
We put the time of arrival at 8 P.M.
Place
Identify the location or place of;
We localized the source of the infection
Place
Make an investment;
Put money into bonds
Place
Assign to a station
Place
Finish second or better in a horse or dog race;
He bet $2 on number six to place
Place
Sing a note with the correct pitch
Place
An appropriate or suitable spot.
This is not the place to discuss that.
Common Curiosities
What is the primary difference between place and land?
Place refers to a specific location or position, while land denotes a part of the Earth's surface that is not covered by water.
Can place have an emotional or social context?
Yes, place can often refer to an environment or surroundings with emotional or social significance, like "a safe place."
Does land have a legal connotation?
Yes, land often involves legal aspects, especially regarding ownership and property rights.
Can place be used to refer to a larger area like land?
Yes, place can refer to a larger area, but it is often more specific or abstract compared to land, which is more tangible.
Is land always referring to rural areas?
No, land can refer to any part of the Earth's surface that is not covered by water, including urban areas.
Can place refer to a role or position?
Yes, place can refer to a role or position within a hierarchy or sequence.
Is land used to describe abstract concepts?
No, land is usually used in a concrete sense to describe physical areas of the Earth.
Is land typically associated with agriculture?
Often, but not exclusively; land can refer to any part of the Earth's surface.
Can place be used in a figurative sense?
Yes, place can be used figuratively to denote a position in a hierarchy or an abstract location, like "a place in history."
Does land have multiple meanings like place?
Land primarily refers to physical areas, but can also mean a country or nation.
Is the term land used in urban contexts?
Yes, land can be used to describe urban plots and real estate.
Can land be a synonym for country?
Yes, land can refer to a country or nation.
Can place refer to reserved spaces?
Yes, place can refer to spaces designated for specific persons or things.
Does place only refer to physical locations?
No, place can also refer to abstract concepts like a place in society.
Is place commonly used in everyday language?
Yes, place is frequently used in everyday language for various contexts.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
