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noun A1 Beginner Very common

farm

FAHM

Farm (noun) means land, together with its buildings, used for growing crops or raising animals. Example: “They spent the summer helping out on their grandparents' farm.”

noun
1
Land, together with its buildings, used for growing crops or raising animals.
"They spent the summer helping out on their grandparents' farm."
"The farm produces mostly wheat and barley."
2
A facility with many similar units used for an industrial or computing purpose.
"The company runs a huge server farm to power its cloud services."
verb
1
To grow crops or keep livestock as an occupation.
"His family has farmed this land for three generations."
2
To hand off a task, contract, or piece of work to someone else ("farm out").
"The studio farmed out the animation work to a smaller company."

How to Use Farm

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishLand used to grow food or raise animals, or, more loosely, any place with many similar units doing similar work.

Common pairings
work on a farm farm animals farm out server farm dairy farm

Word Forms

farmed past tense, farmed past tense, farms plural, farms singular, farms singular

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Test yourself on “farm” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

They spent the summer helping out on their grandparents' _____.

Etymology

From Middle English ferme, "rent" or "provisions" — originally referred to a fixed rent or the food owed to a landlord, only later coming to mean the land itself.

Origin: Middle English

Related Words

Rhymes for farm

See all rhymes for farm →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “farm” mean?

The word “farm” means land, together with its buildings, used for growing crops or raising animals. In plain terms, land used to grow food or raise animals, or, more loosely, any place with many similar units doing similar work.

How do you pronounce “farm”?

“Farm” is pronounced FAHM (/ˈfɑɹm/ in IPA).

How do you use “farm” in a sentence?

Here is “farm” used in a sentence: “They spent the summer helping out on their grandparents' farm.”

What part of speech is “farm”?

Depending on how it is used, “farm” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “farm” come from?

The word “farm” comes from Middle English. From Middle English ferme, "rent" or "provisions" — originally referred to a fixed rent or the food owed to a landlord, only later coming to mean the land itself.

Is “farm” a common word?

“Farm” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

How many meanings does “farm” have?

“Farm” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: land, together with its buildings, used for growing crops or raising animals.

What is the difference between a farm and a ranch?

A farm is land used to grow crops or raise animals, and it can be quite mixed or small. A ranch is a large area of land devoted mainly to grazing livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or horses. Every ranch is a kind of farm, but ranches focus on raising animals over open land rather than cultivating crops.

What are the different types of farms?

Farms are usually grouped by what they produce. Common types include arable farms for crops, dairy farms for milk, livestock farms for meat, and poultry farms for chickens and eggs, plus mixed farms that combine crops and animals. There are also specialised kinds such as fish farms, fruit farms, and organic farms.

What is the difference between a farm and a smallholding?

A farm is land used for growing crops or raising animals, often as a full commercial business. A smallholding is a small farm, typically worked for personal use or modest income rather than large-scale production. The main difference is size and purpose: a smallholding is essentially a farm on a smaller, more personal scale.

What is the difference between a farm and a garden?

A farm is land, with its buildings, used to produce crops or livestock, usually to sell. A garden is a smaller plot, often beside a home, grown for pleasure, food, or beauty. Scale and purpose separate them: farms are about production and income, gardens about enjoyment and household use.

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