Cleveland

C3L1E1V4E1L1A1N1D2
UK/ˈkliːv.lənd/Canada, US/ˈkliv.lənd/

proper noun

A geographic area of hills and dales in North Yorkshire, England.

CommonScrabble 15

Meanings

proper nounCleveland (countable and uncountable, plural Clevelands)

plural Clevelands

  1. countableuncountableA geographic area of hills and dales in North Yorkshire, England.
  2. countableuncountableA former county in northeast England, bordering North Yorkshire and County Durham, created in 1974 from parts of those two counties (mainly the County Borough of Teesside) and abolished in 1996.
  3. countableuncountableA major city, the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

    The year is 1837, and the Cuyahoga is the sidewinding river separating the empire of Cleveland from the more rough-hewn frontier town of Ohio City.

    2020 June 10, Stephen Markley, “Pete Beatty’s ‘Cuyahoga’ Images an Ohio, and a Country, Divided”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 15 Oct 2020
  4. A number of other places in the United States, including:
    1. countableuncountableA town in Blount County, Alabama.
    2. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of White County, Georgia, named after General Benjamin Cleveland, grandson of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland.
    3. countableuncountableA village in Henry County, Illinois.
    4. countableuncountableA small city, one of the two county seats of Bolivar County, Mississippi.
    5. countableuncountableA small city in Cass County, Missouri.
    6. countableuncountableA small city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
    7. countableuncountableA village in the town of Constantia, Oswego County, New York.
    8. countableuncountableA small town in Cleveland Township, Rowan County, North Carolina.
    9. countableuncountableA tiny city in Stutsman County, North Dakota.
    10. countableuncountableA small city in Pawnee County, Oklahoma.
    11. countableuncountableA small city, the county seat of Bradley County, Tennessee.
    12. countableuncountableA city in Liberty County, Texas.
    13. countableuncountableA tiny city in Emery County, Utah.
    14. countableuncountableA small town in Russell County, Virginia.
    15. countableuncountableA town in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
    16. countableuncountableA village in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
    17. countableuncountableA town in Chippewa County, Wisconsin.
    18. countableuncountableA town in Jackson County, Wisconsin.
    19. countableuncountableA town in Taylor County, Wisconsin.
  5. countableuncountableA suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
  6. countableuncountableA suburb of Redland City, Queensland, Australia.
  7. countableuncountableA locality in Northern Midlands council area, eastern Tasmania, Australia.
  8. countableuncountableA township municipality of the Regional County Municipality of Le Val-Saint-François, Quebec, Canada.
  9. countableA surname.

    He also became the second president ever to win election to the office nonconsecutively, after Grover Cleveland.

    2024 November 6, Joseph Addington, “Trump Elected President of the United States”, in The American Conservative

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*klibą
  2. Proto-West Germanic*klib
  3. Old Englishclif
  4. Middle Englishclive, cleve, cleove
  5. Proto-Indo-European*lendʰ-
  6. Proto-Germanic*landą
  7. Proto-West Germanic*land
  8. Old Englishland
  9. Middle Englishland
  10. Middle EnglishCleveland, Clyveland
  11. EnglishCleveland

From place names in England (i.e. Cleveland, England), from Middle English Cleveland, Clyveland, from Middle English clive, cleve, cleove (“cliff”) + land, equivalent to cliff + land.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كليفلاند
  • كليفلاند (klīflānd)city in Ohio, United States
Bulgarian Кли́вланд
  • Кли́вланд (Klívland)city in Ohio, United States
Chinese Mandarin 克利夫蘭 /克利夫兰, 克利夫蘭 /克利夫兰
  • 克利夫蘭 /克利夫兰 (Kèlìfūlán)former county in northeast England
  • 克利夫蘭 /克利夫兰 (Kèlìfūlán)city in Ohio, United States
  • 克里夫蘭 /克里夫兰 (Kèlǐfūlán)city in Ohio, United States
Esperanto Klevlando, Klivlando
  • Klevlandocity in Ohio, United States
  • Klivlandocity in Ohio, United States
French Cleveland
  • Clevelandcity in Ohio, United States
German Cleveland
  • Clevelandcity in Ohio, United States
Greek Κλίβλαντ
  • Κλίβλαντ (Klívlant)city in Ohio, United States
Hebrew קְלִיבְלַנְד
  • קְלִיבְלַנְד (klívland)city in Ohio, United States
Japanese クリーブランド, クリーヴランド
  • クリーブランド (Kurīburando)city in Ohio, United States
  • クリーヴランド (Kurīvurando)city in Ohio, United States
Latin Clevelandum, Clevelandia
  • Clevelandumcity in Ohio, United States
  • Clevelandiacity in Ohio, United States
Latvian Klīvlenda
  • Klīvlendacity in Ohio, United States
Lithuanian Klyvlendas
  • Klyvlendascity in Ohio, United States
Polish Cleveland
  • Clevelandcity in Ohio, United States
Portuguese Cleveland
  • Clevelandcity in Ohio, United States
Russian Кли́вленд, Кли́вленд
  • Кли́вленд (Klívlend)former county in northeast England
  • Кли́вленд (Klívlend)city in Ohio, United States
Spanish Cleveland
  • Clevelandcity in Ohio, United States
Ukrainian Клі́вленд
  • Клі́вленд (Klívlend)city in Ohio, United States
Cite this entry
APA

Cleveland. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cleveland

MLA

“Cleveland.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cleveland. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cleveland,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Cleveland.

Source: Cleveland on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.