farm

[ fahrm ]

/ fɑrm /

noun

a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.

land or water devoted to the raising of animals, fish, plants, etc.: a pig farm; an oyster farm; a tree farm.

a similar, usually commercial, site where a product is manufactured or cultivated: a cheese farm; a honey farm.

the system, method, or act of collecting revenue by leasing a territory in districts.

a country or district leased for the collection of revenue.

a fixed yearly amount accepted from a person in view of local or district taxes that he or she is authorized to collect.

a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out, as the drilling or storage of oil or the generation of electricity by solar power.

English History.

the rent or income from leased property.
the condition of being leased at a fixed rent; possession under lease; a lease.

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.

Obsolete. a fixed yearly amount payable in the form of rent, taxes, or the like.

verb (used with object)

to cultivate (land).

to raise (animals, fish, plants, etc.) on land or in water.

to take the proceeds or profits of (a tax, undertaking, etc.) on paying a fixed sum.

to let or lease (taxes, revenues, an enterprise, etc.) to another for a fixed sum or a percentage (often followed by out).

to let or lease the labor or services of (a person) for hire.

to contract for the maintenance of (a person, institution, etc.): a county that farms its poor.

verb (used without object)

to cultivate the soil; operate a farm.

Verb Phrases

farm out,

to assign (work, privileges, or the like) to another by financial agreement; subcontract; lease: The busy shipyard farmed out two construction jobs to a smaller yard.
to assign the care of (a child or dependent person) to another: She farms her elderly aunt out to a retired nurse during the workweek.
Chiefly Baseball. to assign (a player) to a farm.
to exhaust (farmland) by overcropping.
to drill (oil or gas wells), especially by subcontract on land owned or leased by another.

Nearby words

farinose, farkleberry, farl, farley, farley, james aloysius, farm, farm belt, farm bloc, farm bureau, farm hand, farm out

Idioms

buy the farm, Slang. to die or be killed.

Origin of farm

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 firm¹

Related forms

farm·a·ble, adjectivemin·i·farm, nounnon·farm, adjectivepro·farm, adjective

su·per·farm, nounun·farm·a·ble, adjectiveun·farmed, adjectivewell-farmed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for farmed

His daddy was a drinker, not much for raising kids, so Johnny was farmed off to an uncle, Joe France, the toughest rancher around.
The Ballad of Johnny France|Richard Ben Cramer|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“In the 60s we had quite a large area that we farmed and hired people to help,” said Doris.
The Texas Drought Seen Firsthand from the Eyes of Ranchers|Malcolm Jones|August 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There is a suggestion that the investigation of the case was farmed out to a "neutral" province to depoliticize the process.
Will Gu Kailai Get the Death Penalty?|The Telegraph|July 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead, the work of canine acting was farmed out to other German Shepherds.
Must Love Dogs|Adam Auriemma|September 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST

He served in the Air Force and then came home and farmed cotton.
The Texas Steamroller's Next Move|Mark McKinnon|March 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Having secured his own farm (on section nine) he farmed there until 1875, when he moved to the village of Stoughton.
A History of Norwegian Immigration to the United States : From the Earliest Beginning down to the Year 1848|George Tobias Flom
Except in the southwest and a few isolated spots, the country cannot be farmed.
Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador|William Wood
He had followed the sea, he had farmed, he had been a logger and a hunter in the Maine woods.
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 7|Various
Some of de boys who had been slaves, farmed wid old marster, but I worked at my trade.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States|Various
He had established himself on a small estate in Touraine, which he farmed himself.
A Short History of French Literature|George Saintsbury

British Dictionary definitions for farmed (1 of 2)

farmed

/ (fɑːmd) /

adjective

(of fish and game) reared on a farm rather than caught in the wild

British Dictionary definitions for farmed (2 of 2)

farm

/ (fɑːm) /

noun

a tract of land, usually with house and buildings, cultivated as a unit or used to rear livestock
(as modifier)farm produce
(in combination)farmland

a unit of land or water devoted to the growing or rearing of some particular type of vegetable, fruit, animal, or fisha fish farm

an installation for storage

a district of which one or more taxes are leased

history

a fixed sum paid by an individual or group for the right of collecting and retaining taxes, rents, etc
a fixed sum paid regularly by a town, county, etc, in lieu of taxes
the leasing of a source of revenue to an individual or group
a fixed tax, rent, etc, paid regularly

verb

(tr)

to cultivate (land)
to rear (stock, etc) on a farm

(intr) to engage in agricultural work, esp as a way of life

(tr) to look after a child for a fixed sum

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
to operate (a franchise) under similar conditions

Word Origin for farm

C13: from Old French ferme rented land, ultimately from Latin firmāre to settle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with farmed

farm

In addition to the idiom beginning with farm

farm out

also see:

buy it (the farm)

farm

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of farm

Examples from the Web for farmed

British Dictionary definitions for farmed (1 of 2)

farmed

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for farmed (2 of 2)

farm

noun

verb

Word Origin for farm

Idioms and Phrases with farmed

farm