agriculture
Americannoun
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the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock; farming.
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the production of crops, livestock, or poultry.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of agriculture
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin agrīcultūra, from agrī (genitive singular of ager “field”) + cultūra culture
Explanation
Agriculture describes the practice of growing crops or raising animals. Someone who works as a farmer is in the agriculture industry. The Latin root of agriculture is agri, or "field," plus cultura, "cultivation." Cultivating a piece of land, or planting and growing food plants on it, is largely what agriculture means. Raising animals for meat or milk also falls under the category of agriculture. If we didn't have agriculture, we'd all be running around the woods, picking berries and trying to shoot things.
Vocabulary lists containing agriculture
The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Down on the Farm
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The United States
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A report by the International Labour Organization estimates heat stress could reduce India's total working hours by 5.8% by 2030, with outdoor workers in agriculture and construction among the worst affected.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
The good news: July 1 isn’t a magic date that unravels the trade pact, which touches supply chains ranging from autos to agriculture and underpins America’s most meaningful trade relationship.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Bosworth, 44, was raised on his family’s horse ranch in Saratoga, Calif., a wealthy enclave in Silicon Valley, and grew up heavily involved in agriculture and the state’s 4-H youth program.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
It's been the subject of many court cases, with campaigners claiming that pollution from agriculture and sewage have led to algal blooms, starving wildlife of oxygen.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
I sat on the library floor and hand-copied books on history, geography, civics, agriculture, and other subjects.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
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.
