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• brownfield
  brownfield

  noun

  an industrial or commercial site that is idle or underused because of real or perceived environmental pollution.
• Brownfield
  Brownfield

  noun

  a city in NW Texas.

brownfield

¹ American  

[broun-feeld] / ˈbraʊnˌfild /

noun

1. an industrial or commercial site that is idle or underused because of real or perceived environmental pollution.

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Brownfield ² American  

[broun-feeld] / ˈbraʊnˌfild /

noun

1. a city in NW Texas.

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brownfield British  

/ ˈbraʊnˌfiːld /

noun

1. (modifier) denoting or located in an urban area that has previously been built on

   Hampshire has many brownfield developments

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brownfield Scientific  

/ broun′fēld′ /

1. A piece of industrial or commercial property that is abandoned or underused and often environmentally contaminated, especially one considered as a potential site for redevelopment.

2. Compare greenfield

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Etymology

Origin of brownfield

1975–80; brown + field

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brownfield Brownfield

The bank sees operational and brownfield projects as “the most practical levers” for creating value.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

“The company owns a differentiated aluminium business; executing on operational improvements and brownfield expansions will determine whether it can sustain a durable earnings and cash-flow pillar alongside iron ore and copper.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Sustained prices could improve upstream project economics, encourage higher development spending, while greater cash-flow visibility may prompt operators to resume deferred brownfield and asset-integrity work, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Kernohan said he was not against more pitches being built, but suggested a brownfield site would be more suitable for redevelopment.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Jay recalled the hype around King Charles' visit in 2013 as work took place to turn one of Europe's biggest brownfield sites into a thriving community.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026

"There's some evidence that that encourages people to only make the minimum repayment, even if they could afford to pay more than that," says Brownfield.

From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2026

As for the prospects of enticing producers to ramp up output to where it was a quarter-century ago, Brownfield said, “I just don’t see it, unless the U.S. basically bankrolls them.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 8, 2026

"This research brings us closer to being able to boost the lung's natural repair mechanisms, offering hope for preventing or reversing conditions where currently we can only slow progression," says Dr. Brownfield.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2025

And who clearly wanted to be there, less than 40 miles from the small farming community of Brownfield where he grew up.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 16, 2022

On the bus ride home he hardly said a word to anyone, the gray shadows of Brownfield and Seagraves and Seminole and Andrews falling across his face like a fine mist.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger