acre-foot

American  

[ey-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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of acre-foot

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acre-foot

By collecting the data, the agency is preparing to charge landowners fees — $300 for each well plus a usage fee of $20 for each acre-foot of water.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

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

Well owners also will be required to pay the state $300 per well plus a pumping fee of $20 per acre-foot, a measure intended to cover costs related to the state’s intervention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2024

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

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 26, 2024

An inch or an acre-foot of water falling as snow upon the high mountains was used over and over many times and by many persons before returning to its starting place in the atmosphere.

From The Thirst Quenchers by Rick Raphael