Fens

American

[fenz] / fɛnz /

noun

Also called Fenland. a marshy lowland region in eastern England, south of the Wash: partly drained and channeled since the 17th century.

Fens British

/ fɛnz /

plural noun

a flat low-lying area of E England, west and south of the Wash: consisted of marshes until reclaimed in the 17th to 19th centuries

"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

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.

Mitschunas is leading research with a project that tests new crops in the flat Fens of Cambridgeshire by rewetting peatlands.

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

"I met people from Bedford - the chance to skate on the Fens is a real magnet."

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

Competitive skating began in the Fens in 1879, and since then speed skaters have vied for the world or Fenland title whenever a Fen has frozen long enough to allow the championships to be held.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

"In a freezing winter, with winds cutting across the Fens, these roundhouses would have been pretty cosy," said CAU project archaeologist Dr Chris Wakefield.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024

“Not all conquered people are turned into slaves. In the Southern Lands, the Lake People conquered the Fens and brought them into the fold—” “What is wrong with you?”

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023