The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - country n.

1) nation, state, power; territory, realm: How many countries belong to the British Commonwealth? 2 (native) land, homeland, fatherland, motherland, mother country: I would gladly fight for my country. 3) countryside, rural area or surroundings, provinces, hinterlands; mountains, woods, wilderness, outback, Colloq sticks, US boondocks, boonies: We are spending our holiday in the country.