plantation

noun

plan·​ta·​tion plan-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce plantation (audio)
1
: a usually large group of plants and especially trees under cultivation
2
: a settlement in a new country or region
Plymouth Plantation
3
a
: a place that is planted or under cultivation
b
: an agricultural estate usually worked by resident labor

Examples of plantation in a Sentence

the struggling plantation almost failed during the first winter
Recent Examples on the Web Yellow Rose: plantation pineapple rum, Velho Barreiro Cachaca, banana greek yogurt, spiced coconut, pineapple, and lime. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Myanmar’s democratic transition under Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi further curtailed the region’s role in drugs, with U.N.-backed crop substitution programs transforming crimson poppy fields into fruit orchards and tea plantations. TIME, 21 Mar. 2024 Staying at the latter, the biggest plantation on the island, sensitively restored six years ago, is to get under the skin of life here, sharing the rambling, faded grandeur of the compound with a resident community. Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024 Recommended The source of the Barretts’ wealth is their Jamaican sugar plantation, Cinnamon Hill, a business that became less lucrative after England’s abolition of slavery in 1834. Heller McAlpin, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024 But palm oil plantations have caused vast deforestation. Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Missionaries brought whitewashing and fenced gardens; sugarcane and pineapple plantations popularized Arts and Crafts-style bungalows, where workers lived. Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 In North America, wealthy rice planters whose plantations lined the Lowcountry—a region along Georgia and South Carolina’s coast that includes the Sea Islands—paid a premium for enslaved people from Sierra Leone. Joshua Kagavi, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 The state of Victoria suffered immensely from the fires, which raged for more than 90 days and burned more that 1.5 million hectares of land, the majority of which were forests, parks, and plantations that covered critical animal habitats, according to the state’s Country Fire Authority. Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near plantation

Cite this Entry

“Plantation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plantation. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

plantation

noun
plan·​ta·​tion plan-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce plantation (audio)
1
: a group of plants and especially trees planted and cared for
2
: a settlement in a new country or region : colony
3
: a planted area
especially : an agricultural estate worked by laborers

Geographical Definition

Plantation

geographical name

city in southeastern Florida west of Fort Lauderdale population 84,955

More from Merriam-Webster on plantation

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