peninsula

UK: /pəˈnɪnsjʊlə/

US: /pəˈnɪnsələ, -ˈnɪnsjələ/

US: (pə nin′sə lə, -nins′yə lə)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

pen•in•su•la /pəˈnɪnsələ, -ˈnɪnsyələ/   n. [countable] , pl. -las. 

1. an area of land almost surrounded by water.

pen•in•su•lar, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

pen•in•su•la  (pə nin′sə lə, -nins′yə lə), n. 

1. an area of land almost completely surrounded by water except for an isthmus connecting it with the mainland.
2. Place Names the Peninsula:
   • Spain and Portugal together; Iberian Peninsula;
     Iberia.
   • a district in SE Virginia between the York and James rivers: Civil War battles.

• Latin paenīnsula, equivalent. to paen- pen- + īnsula island
• 1530–40

pen•in′su•lar, adj. 
pen•in′su•lar•ism, pen•in•su•lar•i•ty  (pə nin′sə lar′i tē, -nins′yə-), n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

peninsula / pɪˈnɪnsjʊlə/ noun

1. a narrow strip of land projecting into a sea or lake from the mainland

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin, literally: almost an island, from paene pene- + insula island

penˈinsular adjective

USAGE
The noun peninsula is sometimes confused with the adjective peninsular: the Iberian peninsula (not peninsular)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Peninsula noun

1. the Peninsula ⇒
   short for the Iberian Peninsula