Showing results for "farming"

• present participle of farm.

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

• self-farming
  noun
• unfarming
  adjective

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

Bibi Jan, a 70-year-old who grows beans and potatoes, said farming can be gruelling.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

Habiba, who spoke to AFP while busy weeding, is proud to have been farming in Nuristan province for decades.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

Experts say some of that is driven by industrialisation of farming which reduces production costs, alongside supermarkets using their buying power to keep prices low.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026

Sardis' landscape is vulnerable to natural erosion, while many tumuli have already been damaged by farming.

From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026

The men, tired from fishing, farming, and hunting, had gathered in the dare, the men’s meeting place.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

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