farm

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
obsolete : a sum or due fixed in amount and payable at fixed intervals
2
: a letting out of revenues or taxes for a fixed sum to one authorized to collect and retain them
3
: a district or division of a country leased out for the collection of government revenues
4
: a tract of land devoted to agricultural purposes
5
a
: a plot of land devoted to the raising of animals and especially domestic livestock
b
: a tract of water reserved for the artificial cultivation of some aquatic life form
a fish farm
6
: a minor-league team (as in baseball) associated with a major-league team as a subsidiary
7
: an area containing a number of similar structures or objects (such as radio antennas or storage tanks)

farm

2 of 2

verb

farmed; farming; farms

transitive verb

1
obsolete : rent
2
: to collect and take the fees or profits of (an occupation or business) on payment of a fixed sum
3
: to give up (something, such as an estate or a business) to another on condition of receiving in return a fixed sum
4
a
: to devote to agriculture
b
: to manage and cultivate as a farm
c
: to grow or cultivate in quantity
farm trees for fuel
farm salmon

intransitive verb

: to engage in raising crops or animals

Examples of farm in a Sentence

Noun She grew up on a dairy farm. Running a farm is hard work. Verb My uncle has been farming this land for 60 years. My uncle has been farming on this land for 60 years.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In other sugar regions, farm owners recruit local workers and pay them wages. Qadri Inzamam Saumya Khandelwal, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024 Practically everyone with a cell phone was scrambling to film video of her at a farm shop, or in the car with her mom — to sell for upwards of $250,000. Lauren Frayer, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024 Despite trolls claiming everything from Kate using a body double when a video surfaced of the Prince and Princess of Wales at a Windsor farm shop to other instances of photo manipulation, the online rumors did not spark the royal's decision to speak out about her cancer treatment. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024 Young people are turning up their noses at farm jobs. Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 When William and Kate had the audacity to visit a farm store, in Windsor, and the misfortune to be filmed in the act, the visual testimony was swiftly picked apart. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024 Every old farm field, railroad right of way, and shopping center detention basin is chock full of the stinky trees. Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 22 Mar. 2024 Even when Kate was spotted in public for the first time since her surgery, visiting a farm shop last weekend, the bizarre conspiracy theories about her health and whereabouts continued to circulate unabated – even though they were easily debunked. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 The European Commission wants to prevent Russia from using farm products as a tool to wreak havoc on the EU market and is moving to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus. Samuel Petrequin, Fortune Europe, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
The case also clarified that the standard of practicability irrigable acreage, or lands that can be farmed, would be used to quantify Indian water rights. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 Some water contaminants listed in the report, like arsenic, occur naturally, while others come from sewage discharge or runoff from farming, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Quinn Clark, Journal Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2024 Simply put, as people took up farming their population grew more quickly than that of their hunting and gathering neighbors. Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 For the Knoches, the desire to farm the sun on their land is a simple matter of property rights. USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Many retailers, large and small, now stock fish and seafood that has been wild-caught or farmed responsibly. Domenica Marchetti, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 And by the 1960s the people didn’t have enough land to farm or could not find enough to eat. Patrick Frater, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024 Mary Fund and her husband Ed Reznicek have farmed there since 1978 on land Fund’s family has owned since the 1870s. USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2024 Others have stayed and moved on with their lives, trusting reports from state and federal agencies that the air is safe to breathe, the soil is safe to farm and the water is safe to drink. Brenda Goodman, CNN, 3 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ferme, from Anglo-French, from fermer to fix, rent, from Latin firmare to make firm, from firmus firm

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of farm was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near farm

Cite this Entry

“Farm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farm. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

farm

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a piece of land used for growing crops or raising livestock
b
: a body of water used for the cultivation of aquatic animals
an oyster farm
2
: a minor-league baseball team

farm

2 of 2 verb
1
: to turn over to another usually for an agreed payment
usually used with out
farm out the electrical work
2
a
: to devote to agriculture
farm 60 acres
b
: to engage in raising crops or animals

More from Merriam-Webster on farm

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