a common measure of area: in the U.S. and U.K., 1 acre equals 4,840 square yards (4,047 square meters) or 0.405 hectare; 640 acres equals one square mile.
acres,
lands; land.
wooded acres.
Informal. large quantities.
acres of Oriental rugs.
Archaic. a plowed or sown field.
a state in W Brazil. 58,900 sq. mi. (152,550 sq. km). Rio Branco.
a seaport in NW Israel: besieged and captured by Crusaders 1191.
a state of W Brazil: mostly unexplored tropical forests; acquired from Bolivia in 1903. Capital: Rio Branco. Pop: 586 942 (2002). Area: 152 589 sq km (58 899 sq miles)
Arabic name: `Akka. Hebrew name: `Akko. Old Testament name: Accho. a city and port in N Israel, strategically situated on the Bay of Acre in the E Mediterranean: taken and retaken during the Crusades (1104, 1187, 1191, 1291), taken by the Turks (1517), by Egypt (1832), and by the Turks again (1839). Pop: 45 600 (2001)
a unit of area used in certain English-speaking countries, equal to 4840 square yards or 4046.86 square metres
(plural)
land, esp a large area
informal a large amount
he has acres of space in his room
to graze cows on the verge of a road
First recorded before 1000; Middle English aker, Old English æcer; cognate with Old Frisian ekker, Old Saxon akkar, Old High German ackar ( German Acker ), Old Norse akr, Gothic akers, Latin ager, Greek agrós, Sanskrit ájra-; see also acorn, agrarian, agrestic, agriculture, agro-
An acre is a unit for measuring area, especially larger areas like farms. An acre is 4840 square yards. It's pretty easy to imagine a square yard: three feet by three feet. Now imagine 4840 of them and you've got an acre. That's a pretty large chunk of land, and acres are used for measuring big areas in some English-speaking countries. Large areas such as farms, forests, and golf courses are likely to be measured in acres. Farms in particular need many acres to grow crops and give the animals space to live.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Southeastern Utah, which is currently grappling with the 70,000-plus acre Cottonwood Fire, is under a rare “particularly dangerous situation” alert, which is the highest level of fire warning issued by the National Weather Service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
As well as the property - set in an acre of grounds on cliffs overlooking Downderry Beach - Darren has also won £250,000 cash.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
This isn’t just an average hyperscale project — it’s a $16 billion, 250 acre OpenAI and Oracle campus.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
The company produces steady cash flows from the royalty payments it gets from companies that drill for natural gas across its 3.4-million acre portfolio, and pays it back to shareholders.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Stone axes would clear an acre and a half, a typical slash-and-burn plot, in the equivalent of 153 eight-hour days.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The soap-bubble fantasy of Ms. Lemann’s New Orleans rather calls to mind the Hundred Acre Wood, if Christopher Robin were a gentle, dissipated loafer in a wrinkled seersucker suit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
One of Shepard’s maps of the Hundred Acre Wood currently holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most expensive book illustration sold at auction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
"It's my point of view. It was my action," she says in the grounds of Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2025
Hidden in the rubble were the falafel restaurant whose owner learned his trade over the border in Acre, Israel; the sweets shop; the stationary store that was a one-stop shop for kids returning to school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024
She was not afraid to go into the Acre.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
The fire was 33 acres and 5% contained as of Tuesday morning, Castillo said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The seven-bedroom dwelling—which sits on nearly 2 acres just off the iconic Pacific Coast Highway—features an exotic European-inspired aesthetic, both inside and out.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
As of 10 p.m., the blaze had spread to 223 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
A couple who grew up near the estate spent years assembling the property, which grew to nearly 1,000 acres at its peak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
All green, then specks, spots, square acres upon acres transform from green to brown.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
