moorland

IPA/ˈmɔːlənd/
KK[mˈʊrlˌænd]IPA/ˈmʊrlənd/

moorland — noun

  • moorlandsingular
  • moorlandsplural

1. a broad area of open wild land, often on high ground, with poor wet soil and low

1.nounC1
Definition

a broad area of open wild land, often on high ground, with poor wet soil and low plants such as heather

Example

Jin and his father walked across the moorland before sunrise.

walk across + moorland

A cold wind swept over the moorland behind the stone village.

swept over + moorland

Common collocations
  • open moorland
  • cross the moorland
  • windswept moorland
  • moorland path
  • moorland soil
Synonyms
  • moor

    very close in meaning, often slightly shorter and more literary in tone

  • heathland

    usually drier and more defined by heather and low shrubs

  • upland

    broader term for high ground, without the same vegetation sense

Antonyms
  • farmland

    cultivated land used for crops or animals, not rough wild ground

Grammar Patterns

moorland

an area of moorland

Usage Note

More common in British English and in descriptions of wide stretches of rough countryside than of one small patch of land.

Common Mistakes

We had our picnic on the moorland in the city park.
We had our picnic on the grass in the city park.
Moorland refers to large wild open country, not an ordinary park lawn.
The swamp beside the river is pure moorland.
The wet ground on the moorland became muddy after the rain.
Moorland can be damp, but it is not the same as a swamp with standing water everywhere.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Moorland usually suggests a broad stretch of rough, open country, often on high ground and often linked with Britain. Moor is very close in meaning, but it can sound slightly more literary or more tied to a particular named place. Heathland is usually drier and is defined more by heather and low shrubs, while moorland can feel wetter and more exposed. Upland is broader and only tells you the land is high, not what the ground is like. You might hike across moorland in heavy fog, but call a dry hill simply upland if the wild, peaty surface is not important.

moor ↗heathland ↗upland ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • open moorland
  • windswept moorland
  • moorland village

Prepositions

  • across the moorland
  • over the moorland
  • on the moorland

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Built from moor, meaning rough open land, and land. The compound has long been used in English for wide wild stretches of country, especially in Britain, where the ground is often poor, damp, and covered with low plants.