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• park
  park

  noun

  an area of land, usually in a largely natural state, for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, often owned, set apart, and managed by a city, state, or nation.
• Park
  Park

  noun

  Mungo 1771–1806?, Scottish explorer in Africa.

park

¹ American  

[pahrk] / pɑrk /

noun

• parks
  plural

1. an area of land, usually in a largely natural state, for the enjoyment of the public, having facilities for rest and recreation, often owned, set apart, and managed by a city, state, or nation.

2. an enclosed area or a stadium used for sports.

   a baseball park.

3. a considerable extent of land forming the grounds of a country house.

4. British. a tract of land reserved for wild animals; game preserve.

5. Western U.S. a broad valley in a mountainous region.

6. a space where vehicles, especially automobiles, may be assembled or stationed.

7. amusement park.

8. theme park.

9. any area set aside for public recreation.

10. Military.

    1. the space occupied by the assembled guns, tanks, or vehicles of a military unit.

    2. the assemblage so formed.

    3. (formerly) the ammunition trains and reserve artillery of an army.

11. Automotive. a setting in an automatic transmission in which the transmission is in neutral and the brake is engaged.

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verb (used with object)

• parks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• parked,
  past participle,  past
• parking
  present participle

1. to place or leave (a vehicle) in a certain place for a period of time.

2. Informal. to put, leave, or settle.

   Park your coat on the chair. Park yourself over there for a moment.

3. to assemble (equipment or supplies) in a military park.

4. to enclose in or as in a park.

5. Informal. to invest (funds) in a stock, bond, etc., considered to be a safe investment with little chance of depreciation, as during a recession or an unstable economic period, or until one finds a more profitable investment.

6. Aerospace. to place (a satellite) in orbit.

verb (used without object)

• parks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• parked,
  past participle,  past
• parking
  present participle

1. to park a car, bicycle, etc.

2. Informal. to engage in kissing and caressing in a parked car.

Park ² American  

[pahrk] / pɑrk /

noun

1. Mungo 1771–1806?, Scottish explorer in Africa.

2. Robert E., 1864–1944, U.S. sociologist.

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park ¹ British  

/ pɑːk /

noun

1. a large area of land preserved in a natural state for recreational use by the public See also national park

2. a piece of open land in a town with public amenities

3. an area, esp of mountain country, reserved for recreational purposes

4. a large area of land forming a private estate

5. English law an enclosed tract of land where wild beasts are protected, acquired by a subject by royal grant or prescription Compare forest

6. an area designed and landscaped to accommodate a group of related enterprises, businesses, research establishments, etc

   science park

7. See amusement park

8. See car park

9. a playing field or sports stadium

10. informal a soccer pitch

11. a gear selector position on the automatic transmission of a motor vehicle that acts as a parking brake

12. the area in which the equipment and supplies of a military formation are assembled

13. a high valley surrounded by mountains in the western US

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verb

1. to stop and leave (a vehicle) temporarily

2. to manoeuvre (a motor vehicle) into a space for it to be left

   try to park without hitting the kerb

3. stock exchange to register (securities) in the name of another or of nominees in order to conceal their real ownership

4. informal (tr) to leave or put somewhere

   park yourself in front of the fire

5. (intr) military to arrange equipment in a park

6. (tr) to enclose in or as a park

Park ² British  

/ pɑːk /

noun

1. Mungo (ˈmʌŋɡəʊ). 1771–1806, Scottish explorer. He led two expeditions (1795–97; 1805–06) to trace the course of the Niger in Africa. He was drowned during the second expedition

2. Nick, full name Nicholas Wulstan Park. born 1958, British animator and film director; his films include A Grand Day Out (1992), which introduced the characters Wallace and Gromit, and the feature-length Chicken Run (2000)

3. Chung Hee. (ˈtʃʊŋ ˈhiː). 1917–79, South Korean politician; president of the Republic of Korea (1963–79); assassinated

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• parker
  noun
• superpark
  noun
• overpark
  verb
• repark
  verb
• parklike
  adjective
• unparked
  adjective
• well-parked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parks
  plural

Participles

• parking
  present
• parked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• park
  simple
• parks
  simple
• have parked
  perfect
• has parked
  perfect
• am parking
  progressive
• are parking
  progressive
• is parking
  progressive
• have been parking
  perfect progressive
• has been parking
  perfect progressive

Past

• parked
  simple
• had parked
  perfect
• was parking
  progressive
• were parking
  progressive
• had been parking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will park
  simple
• will have parked
  perfect
• will be parking
  progressive
• will have been parking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of park

1225–75; Middle English (noun) < Old French parc enclosure < Late Latin *parricus < West Germanic *parruk ( see paddock ¹)

Explanation

A park is an outdoor green space that people use for recreation. People can also park a car, which is to pull into a parking space and stop. Just don’t park your car in a park. Unless you’re a squirrel. A city park usually has playgrounds, sports fields, walking paths, grass, and trees. There are also larger tracts of wild public land also known as parks, and these often have hiking trails, mountains, or bodies of water. Park is a verb too, meaning "drive into a parking space," so you could park your scooter at the park. Originally this verb referred exclusively to military vehicles, but by 1844 you could park any vehicle at all.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

park Park parks parked parking

Even ten minutes walking across a park lawn will improve your joint movement.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

That year, the park service moved to shut down a local oyster farm, whose lease was expiring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

In Stoke-on-Trent, four homes were completely destroyed by a fire that started in a park in Sandyford and 13 other homes suffered structural, roof and window damage.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Garrison called local TV stations and set up interviews with sick senior citizens who live in the park.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Andre holds up one hand to block the sun as he scans the park.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

In 2026, no one questions a reality show set 20 minutes from Park City, Utah, or wonders why Netflix dating shows host their casting calls in exurban Charlotte.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

When I visited his Menlo Park, Calif., office, I learned he designed it, all the way down to restroom paper towel dispensers, which he stayed up until 2 a.m. some nights perfecting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The son-in-law of Indian billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal, he had been a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers for 18 years before relinquishing his stake in the club last month.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Comedian Randall Park plays an eccentric boss of a pizza shop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

There were once three Estries taking in the morning in Washington Square Park.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

ESPN’s cash flow helped build Disney parks in Hong Kong and Shanghai, plus financed major renovations like California Adventure in Anaheim and Hollywood Studios in Florida.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In addition to state parks personnel, several agencies have collaborated to comb through the park for Brophy including the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team; the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Now every night, the roofs, parks, and porches of Havana fill with people lying on cardboard, mattresses, or directly on the ground.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

She has hiked national parks, attended American football games and drove an RV through several states down to Florida.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Even Chicago, which is full of metal buildings and concrete sidewalks, has green parks.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

It’s believed she parked her Hyundai — which was found abandoned by authorities three days later — near Doane Pond, about two miles into the recreational area, after purchasing a parking pass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Images of Air Force One parked at the Turkish airport show vehicles labeled with the logo of a catering company called Turkish DO & CO.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The catering truck, which typically loads in-flight meals, parked on the right side of Air Force One, partially shielded from media cameras.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

They are also blocked by motorcycles, swallowed by parked cars, encroachments or excavated for utility works.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Mr. Berrycloth’s two-seat motorcar is parked out front.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Three years later, he’s still missing parking spots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Hundreds of volunteers hurried through the packed parking lot next to Bogota's largest stadium, forming human chains to pass donated water bottles, food provisions, sanitary products and bedding to the sorting area.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

One couple flirtatiously strolls through an empty parking garage, then dances late at night in a hotel room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

It had a waterfall in the lobby, a pool on the roof, valet parking and all sorts of other conveniences.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

You say bye, retracing your steps to the parking lot.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Related Words

• estate
• forest
• garden
• lawn
• place
• playground
• plaza
• square