vineyard

American  

[vin-yerd] / ˈvɪn jərd /

noun

• vineyards
  plural

1. a plantation of grapevines, especially one producing grapes for winemaking.

2. a sphere of activity, especially on a high spiritual plane.

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vineyard British  

/ ˈvɪnjəd /

noun

1. a plantation of grapevines, esp where wine grapes are produced

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vineyardist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vineyards
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of vineyard

1300–50; Middle English ( see vine, yard ²); replacing win ( e ) yard, Old English wīngeard

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Explanation

If you dream of one day growing grapes and making wine in the South of France, you hope to work at a vineyard, another name for a farm where wine grapes are grown. The French tradition of wine making is what led English speakers to adopt a French term for "grape plantation," although in South Africa it is called a "wine farm." Around 1300, the Old English term wingeard was replaced with the word vineyard. The trickiest thing about the word is its pronunciation — the first syllable doesn't actually sound like "vine," but instead is pronounced "vin."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vineyard vineyards

This photo was taken in a vineyard at dawn, when the birds sing their most complex compositions.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

“It’s not just about the financial loss, it is also an emotional hit” for the owners and for the company’s workers, some of whom have generational ties to the vineyard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

When the 2023 flood came, his crew scrambled to set up about 30 diesel pumps and sent water flowing onto a vineyard and orchards of almonds, pistachios and olives.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

As California’s wine industry struggles, a family-owned vineyard spanning 3,500 acres is for sale after its exports to Canada dropped 35% in a year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The vineyard owners let people come pick their own grapes for a nickel a pound.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

“What we are seeing today is different. Growers pulling out vines, mothballing vineyards and planting other crops points to something more structural than the cycles I have experienced,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

This strange realm of pointy peaks, rocky caves and soaring condors is California’s youngest and smallest national park, set in the underappreciated middle of California, where farms, ranches and vineyards blanket the valleys and hills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

The bottle he selected for the business dinner, a Cabernet Sauvignon, was from a winery that he had recognized from his travels to vineyards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

They have left vineyards struggling to sufficiently irrigate their plants, and caused crop yields to dwindle.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

We drove about a hundred miles to the vineyards, where the grapes were so ripe they were about to burst on the vine in bunches bigger than my head.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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