foreland [coast] (fore'-land). (a) An extensive area of land, either high ground or low land, jutting out from the coast into a large body of water (usually the sea); a headland; a promontory. See also: cuspate foreland. (b) A prograded strip of low, flat land built by waves and currents at the base of a cliff; an initial stage in the development of a strand plain. (c) A part of the natural shore, located seaward of an embankment, that receives the shock of sea waves and deadens their force.