farming

American  

[fahr-ming] / ˈfɑr mɪŋ /

noun

1. the business of operating a farm.

2. the practice of letting or leasing taxes, revenue, etc., for collection.

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farming British  

/ ˈfɑːmɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the business, art, or skill of agriculture

   2. ( as modifier )

      farming methods

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Other Word Forms

• self-farming
  noun
• unfarming
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of farming

First recorded in 1545–55; farm + -ing ¹

Explanation

Farming is the act or process of working the ground, planting seeds, and growing edible plants. You can also describe raising animals for milk or meat as farming. Farming is a great way to describe the lifestyle and work of people whose jobs are in the agriculture industry. People often have a romantic idea of what farming is like — roosters crowing, farmers driving tractors and milking goats — although farming can be very hard work, dependent on food prices and weather. The noun farm originally meant "a lease on farm land," and it comes from the Medieval Latin firma, "fixed payment."

Example Sentences

Farming is incredibly rewarding, but it’s also difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Farming and defense stocks also had a strong start.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

For example the government's Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, which was updated last month, includes further incentives for farmers to graze moorland with cattle and ponies instead of sheep as it "contributes positively to biodiversity".

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Farming has tough demographics, but autonomous vehicles, data, AI, and machine learning can help agricultural costs across the globe.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

In 1940 he started a magazine called Organic Gardening and Farming.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• agriculture
• breeding
• cultivation
• culture
• gardening
• grazing
• production
• ranching