farming

American  

[fahr-ming] / ˈfɑr mɪŋ /

noun

1. the business of operating a farm.

2. the practice of letting or leasing taxes, revenue, etc., for collection.

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farming British  

/ ˈfɑːmɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the business, art, or skill of agriculture

   2. ( as modifier )

      farming methods

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unfarming
  adjective
• self-farming
  noun

Etymology

Origin of farming

First recorded in 1545–55; farm + -ing ¹

Explanation

Farming is the act or process of working the ground, planting seeds, and growing edible plants. You can also describe raising animals for milk or meat as farming. Farming is a great way to describe the lifestyle and work of people whose jobs are in the agriculture industry. People often have a romantic idea of what farming is like — roosters crowing, farmers driving tractors and milking goats — although farming can be very hard work, dependent on food prices and weather. The noun farm originally meant "a lease on farm land," and it comes from the Medieval Latin firma, "fixed payment."

Example Sentences

The incident came one day after police and soldiers cleared a key road linking La Paz to farming communities.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

The regenerative farming ideas are hardly new, even on screen: “Groundswell” is the third in a trilogy by the Tickells, following “Kiss the Ground” and “Common Ground.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Now he’s worried that if he doesn’t find the right ways to lower fertilizer and other farming input costs, his bottom line will suffer again.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Banda's more than two million residents - many dependent on farming, construction, transport and other outdoor work - had little option but to endure the heat.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Other people at Efifi concerned themselves with farming, herding, and carpentry.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• agriculture
• breeding
• cultivation
• culture
• gardening
• grazing
• production
• ranching