farm
Americannoun
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farms
plural
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a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.
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land or water devoted to the raising of animals, fish, plants, etc..
a pig farm;
an oyster farm;
a tree farm.
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a site, usually commercial, where a product is manufactured or cultivated.
a cheese farm;
a honey farm.
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the system, method, or act of collecting revenue by leasing a territory in districts.
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a country or district leased for the collection of revenue.
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a fixed yearly amount payment of money or goods, accepted in lieu of taxes owed.
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a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out, such as the drilling or storage of oil or the generation of electricity by solar power.
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Informal: Often Disparaging and Offensive. a place or business that serves a specified type of client or customer.
Sending people to so-called fat farms rarely increases their health.
Gone are the days when inpatient mental health care was commonly referred to as the “funny farm.”
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a business or place that turns out specified products or services in the manner of a factory; a mill.
an online content farm.
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English History.
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the rent or income from leased property.
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the condition of being leased at a fixed rent; possession under lease; a lease.
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Also called farm team,. Also called farm club. Chiefly Baseball. a team in a minor league that is owned by or affiliated with a major-league team, for training or keeping players until ready or needed.
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Obsolete. a fixed yearly amount payable in the form of rent, taxes, or the like.
verb (used with object)
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farms,
present (3rd person singular)
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farmed,
past participle, past
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farming
present participle
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to cultivate (land).
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to raise (animals, fish, plants, etc.) on land or in water.
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to take the proceeds or profits of (a tax, undertaking, etc.) on paying a fixed sum.
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to let or lease (taxes, revenues, an enterprise, etc.) to another for a fixed sum or a percentage (often followed byout ).
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to let or lease the labor or services of (a person) for hire.
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to contract for the maintenance of (a person, institution, etc.).
The county farms its poor.
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(in a video game) to collect (valuable items) for a character’s use or to sell in the game’s virtual economy by repeatedly performing a task for a reward or killing an enemy for a dropped item.
I farm crafting supplies just to sell them at the auction house.
verb (used without object)
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farms,
present (3rd person singular)
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farmed,
past participle, past
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farming
present participle
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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a tract of land, usually with house and buildings, cultivated as a unit or used to rear livestock
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( as modifier )
farm produce
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( in combination )
farmland
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a unit of land or water devoted to the growing or rearing of some particular type of vegetable, fruit, animal, or fish
a fish farm
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an installation for storage
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a district of which one or more taxes are leased
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history
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a fixed sum paid by an individual or group for the right of collecting and retaining taxes, rents, etc
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a fixed sum paid regularly by a town, county, etc, in lieu of taxes
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the leasing of a source of revenue to an individual or group
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a fixed tax, rent, etc, paid regularly
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verb
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(tr)
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to cultivate (land)
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to rear (stock, etc) on a farm
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(intr) to engage in agricultural work, esp as a way of life
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(tr) to look after a child for a fixed sum
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to collect the moneys due and retain the profits from (a tax district, business, etc) for a specified period on payment of a sum or sums
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to operate (a franchise) under similar conditions
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Usage
What is a farm? A farm is a plot of land that is used to grow crops and raise livestock, as in On our farm, we raise sheep and sell their wool. The word farm is also used as a verb to mean to work land to grow crops or to raise animals. Farms can be found in nearly every country with land suitable for growing things or feeding animals. A farm usually includes a house where the owner, their family, and their workers live and other buildings, such as a barn to house animals and a silo to store feed or harvested crops. In this same sense, farm means to cultivate the land of a farm or to raise animals on a farm, as in He farms chickens and cows for a living. Often, another word is used with farm to note what kind of crops or animals are found at a given farm. For example, a chicken farm would focus on raising chickens, while a potato farm would be dedicated to growing potatoes. A farm may also be an area of water used to raise fish, aquatic plants, or aquatic animals. For example, you could own a salmon farm where you raise salmon in tanks or enclosed ponds to be sold as food. Example: My grandfather owns a dairy farm where he raises cows and sells milk.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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minifarmnoun
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superfarmnoun
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farmableadjective
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nonfarmadjective
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profarmadjective
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unfarmableadjective
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unfarmedadjective
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well-farmedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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farmsimple
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farmssimple
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have farmedperfect
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has farmedperfect
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am farmingprogressive
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are farmingprogressive
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is farmingprogressive
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have been farmingperfect progressive
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has been farmingperfect progressive
Past
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farmedsimple
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had farmedperfect
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was farmingprogressive
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were farmingprogressive
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had been farmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of farm
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ferme “lease, rented land, rent,” from Anglo-French, Old French, from Vulgar Latin ferma (unattested), derivative of fermāre (unattested) for Latin firmāre “to make firm, confirm”; see firm 1
Explanation
A farm is a plot of land that's used for growing food crops or raising livestock. A dairy farm might have cows and fields of grass for them to eat. Some farms consist of barns or other buildings, greenhouses, and fields. Small farms often grow a variety of vegetables and raise small numbers of animals such as egg-laying hens and dairy goats. Large farms frequently focus on one crop and operate like factories. To work on a farm is to farm. In the 15th century, to farm was "to rent land," from the Anglo-French ferme, "a lease," from the Latin firmare, "to fix, settle, or strengthen."
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:
In Omaha, he cycled through various careers: He started his own excavating business, then began farming, with Warren Buffett later purchasing a farm for him to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The farm is also supplying its honey to the restaurant; accumulated at a small scale, the kitchen planned its use strategically.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The couple have raised their family on a farm in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, a property the “Mean Girls” star bought in 2013, while also maintaining properties in Los Angeles and Manhattan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
At his farm, which also offers glamping, Airbnb stays and a Texas-built smoker barbecue food trailer, he has only raised meat prices once over the last five years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Every step you take, Elizabeth, you are nearer to the farm, nearer to food and a warm bed,” she would say.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
"This creates a unique vulnerability to crime that disproportionately affects rural residents, particularly older people, low-income households, and farms."
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Deere helped make satellite-guided tractors and harvesters ubiquitous on farms over the past 20 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The bureau manages one of California’s two main water systems, including massive pumps that pull water from the Delta and send it flowing to farms and communities as far south as Bakersfield.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The investigation said farms and feather-processing facilities in South Africa supplied feathers to luxury brands including YSL, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel, as well as to fast-fashion giant Shein.
From Barron's
He told her that the Poles were sent to other farms or resettled in the southeastern portion of Poland.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
The youngest of four children, Kusama grew up in a family that farmed its vast land holdings and sold seeds for fruits, vegetables and flowers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Researchers are using species recently approved for human consumption as models and comparing the genomes of farmed insects with those of pre-domestication individuals preserved in entomological collections.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Experts will also need to look at the whole supply chain, investigating where the eggs or egg products have been eaten, supplied stored and farmed, for example.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
We skirted Penny Island, where native Pomo people lived and farmed for generations before immigrants from Europe arrived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
By the year 700, Indians as far away as New England and Canada farmed maize.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
While gasoline plays an outsize role in perceptions about affordability, diesel—key to truckers, construction machinery and farming equipment—is surging even higher.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
"The habitats that Slash's groundsnake is from are under threat from industries like coffee farming and mining," says Ruane.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Diesel is embedded in trucking, farming and everything on a shelf, and it hits corporate margins months before it hits your receipts.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The government said: "This is the start of a new conversation with farmers and rural communities as we work together to build a stronger future for British farming and unlock growth in rural areas."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
I didn’t see what knowing numbers had to do with farming, so I said, “You can do all that, Pa.”
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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.
