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, 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:
Across this scarred landscape of abandoned farm fields and derelict villages are thousands of infantrymen, like Vlasenko, scattered in ones and twos, sheltering in makeshift bunkers—the humans in a robot war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The states are farm teams for political talent and test labs for government reform.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
Imanuwela David was found guilty of theft on Monday, as well as conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal at Phala Phala farm in the Limpopo province in 2020.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Spanning an area the size of Singapore, the $700-million scheme is the first cross-border wind project in Asia and the largest wind farm in Southeast Asia.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
The Foxes moved to a farm near Consecon, Canada, for a fresh start.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
To identify the insects, the research team conducted fieldwork at six blueberry farms in North Carolina's Pender, Sampson, Bladen, and New Hanover counties.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
The site is on Melness Crofters Estate, an area of small-scale farms on the A' Mhoine Peninsula in Sutherland in the north-west Highlands.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
On a windy hillside about an hour's drive northwest of Istanbul, the Catalca power plant was one of Turkey's first large-scale wind farms and has been feeding electricity into the grid for 18 years.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
His father, born in Sacramento and raised in Mexico, labored on farms and construction sites; his Mexico-born mother was a clerical worker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Settlers who came to what is currently known as North America wanted land for homes, farms, and businesses that they could not have in their home countries.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Even accounting for fishmeal and transportation to the U.S., the production of certain farmed fish, including tilapia and Atlantic salmon, emits less greenhouse gas per pound than beef or pork.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Tom Kimber's family have farmed near Charlton Musgrove in south Somerset, in the heart of England's most productive grazing land.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In late September, a Kenyan court ordered a pause to construction after more than 100 Lamu residents sued alleging that the refinery threatened ancestral land where they had farmed and buried their families for generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Arable land farmed by a family for about 80 years is to be restored to an orchard and wildlife area.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Accustomed to cooperative agriculture in which whole villages often farmed together, many Africans were used to working in large groups, the most efficient method for large American plantations.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
My grandfather, who went by Stewart, had worked as a houseboy in Menlo Park, moved on to farming and later opened a grocery store in Sacramento.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
These disabilities can reduce household income, increase healthcare costs and push already vulnerable farming families deeper into poverty.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
Animal welfare was one of the main themes of the debates leading up to Denmark's March parliamentary elections, in a country known for its extensive pig farming and pork exports.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
She had no farming background but was eventually persuaded to join family business – something she said had turned out to be a "very good decision".
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Delia and Juanita closed the gap in front of me and stood wielding their farming tools before them, ready for the next attack.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
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