acre-foot

American  

[ay-ker-foot] / ˈeɪ kərˈfʊt /

noun

1. a unit of volume of water in irrigation: the amount covering one acre to a depth of one foot, equal to 43,560 cubic feet.

---

acre-foot British  

noun

1. the volume of water that would cover an area of 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot: equivalent to 43 560 cubic feet or 1233.5 cubic metres

---

Etymology

Origin of acre-foot

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acre-foot

Jennings, who heads the state cloud-seeding program, estimates it produces an acre-foot of water, or about 325,000 gallons, for $30, compared with more than $1,000 to produce the same amount with recycling or desalination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

Specifically, San Luis Obispo’s cloud-seeding program added about 1,200 acre-feet of water per year to the nearly 50,000 acre-foot reservoir, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2025

Many well owners will be required to pay state fees starting in 2026, which include a flat fee of $300 per well, and $20 per acre-foot of water pumped.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2024

An acre-foot serves about two to three U.S. households per year.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

After they have bought the water rights then they must pay for every acre-foot they use.

From The Winning of Barbara Worth by Harold Bell Wright

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---