a common measure of area: in the U.S. and U.K., 1 acre equals 4,840 square yards (4,047 square meters) or 0.405 hectare; 640 acres equals one square mile.
acres,
lands; land.
wooded acres.
Informal. large quantities.
acres of Oriental rugs.
Archaic. a plowed or sown field.
a state in W Brazil. 58,900 sq. mi. (152,550 sq. km). Rio Branco.
a seaport in NW Israel: besieged and captured by Crusaders 1191.
a state of W Brazil: mostly unexplored tropical forests; acquired from Bolivia in 1903. Capital: Rio Branco. Pop: 586 942 (2002). Area: 152 589 sq km (58 899 sq miles)
Arabic name: `Akka. Hebrew name: `Akko. Old Testament name: Accho. a city and port in N Israel, strategically situated on the Bay of Acre in the E Mediterranean: taken and retaken during the Crusades (1104, 1187, 1191, 1291), taken by the Turks (1517), by Egypt (1832), and by the Turks again (1839). Pop: 45 600 (2001)
a unit of area used in certain English-speaking countries, equal to 4840 square yards or 4046.86 square metres
(plural)
land, esp a large area
informal a large amount
he has acres of space in his room
to graze cows on the verge of a road
First recorded before 1000; Middle English aker, Old English æcer; cognate with Old Frisian ekker, Old Saxon akkar, Old High German ackar ( German Acker ), Old Norse akr, Gothic akers, Latin ager, Greek agrós, Sanskrit ájra-; see also acorn, agrarian, agrestic, agriculture, agro-
An acre is a unit for measuring area, especially larger areas like farms. An acre is 4840 square yards. It's pretty easy to imagine a square yard: three feet by three feet. Now imagine 4840 of them and you've got an acre. That's a pretty large chunk of land, and acres are used for measuring big areas in some English-speaking countries. Large areas such as farms, forests, and golf courses are likely to be measured in acres. Farms in particular need many acres to grow crops and give the animals space to live.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company produces steady cash flows from the royalty payments it gets from companies that drill for natural gas across its 3.4-million acre portfolio, and pays it back to shareholders.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Daltun is based on the Beara Peninsula in west Cork and his 73 acre farm overlooks the Atlantic ocean and the Skellig Islands.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
As it was a timber LLC based on large quantities of land, it had previously been agreed that if you exited, you would receive pennies on the dollar per acre.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
The state wants Marblehead to open up its zoning laws so the town could allow 897 new housing units, with a minimum of 15 units per acre.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
To the left there are a few fruit trees and then, farther left, another small field of about an acre and a half.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
