backyard
Americannoun
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backyards
plural
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the portion of a lot or building site behind a house, structure, or the like, sometimes fenced, walled, etc.
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a familiar or nearby area; neighborhood.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of backyard
Explanation
The area behind your house, especially if it's covered in grass or other plants, is a backyard. Some people have decks or patios in their backyard. If you live in a city, you'll consider yourself lucky to have a tiny backyard where you can sit on a sunny day. In the suburbs, houses often have identical, fenced-in backyards. And in the country, your backyard might extend for acres. The word is sometimes hyphenated, back-yard, or spelled as two separate words. It's been in use since the 1600s, combining back and yard, from the Old English geard, "enclosure, garden, or court."
Vocabulary lists containing backyard
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.
See Examples For:
“It’s territorial in a literal physical sense — the ground, your backyard, your community, the park that you love.”
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
The living area comes with a cozy fireplace and an expansive view of the backyard, which features a resort-style pool.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
There were 141 competitors, and 21% of them were women and 79% men, and race organisers said this was the first occasion an all-female podium was recorded in the UK for a backyard ultra.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
For anyone new to Los Angeles, the casual, backyard, house-party approach to community is striking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
We flew all over the world but never bothered to visit the picturesque oasis in our own backyard.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Base Power is building and installing batteries in residential backyards and aims to “become one of the country’s largest developers of battery storage,” the Journal writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Base Power is racing to build and install tens of thousands of batteries in residential backyards and become one of the country’s largest developers of battery storage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The Woods said bears are known to wander into people’s backyards, often drawn by gardens and ponds, but that they typically flee at the sight of humans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
It was also seen swimming in a river, and climbing over fences across backyards.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
In this new age of Cold War and massive bombs, Americans had better start building shelters in their basements and backyards.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
