gentleman-farmer

[ jen-tl-muh n-fahr-mer ]

/ ˈdʒɛn tl mənˈfɑr mər /

noun, plural gen·tle·men-farm·ers.

a man whose wealth or income from other sources permits him to farm for pleasure rather than for basic income.

a man whose income from his farm has freed him from the necessity of physical labor.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gentleman-farmer

First recorded in 1740–50

Words nearby gentleman-farmer

gentleman of the road, gentleman usher of the black rod, gentleman's gentleman, gentleman-at-arms, gentleman-commoner, gentleman-farmer, gentleman-pensioner, gentlemanly, gentlemen's agreement, gentleness, gentlepeople

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for gentleman-farmer

The predominant class is what one might call the gentleman-farmer, with the stress perhaps on “gentleman.”
Down the Columbia|Lewis R. Freeman
There'd only be the vicar and the local doctor, or p'r'aps a gentleman-farmer or two.
The Promise of Air|Algernon Blackwood
Of these we may specially mention Mr. Lawrence Twentyman, who was quite the gentleman-farmer.
The American Senator|Anthony Trollope
We may be allowed to think that the "gentleman-farmer" has chosen the better part.
South America To-day|Georges Clemenceau

She was very angry because Marriott, a gentleman-farmer from Ambergate, called her the little pole-cat.
The Rainbow|D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

British Dictionary definitions for gentleman-farmer

gentleman-farmer

noun plural gentlemen-farmers

a person who engages in farming but does not depend on it for his living

a person who owns farmland but does not farm it personally

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