farm

[ fahrm ]

noun

1. a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.
2. land or water devoted to the raising of animals, fish, plants, etc.:

   a pig farm;

   an oyster farm;

   a tree farm.

3. a site, usually commercial, where a product is manufactured or cultivated:

   a cheese farm;

   a honey farm.

4. the system, method, or act of collecting revenue by leasing a territory in districts.
5. a country or district leased for the collection of revenue.
6. a fixed yearly amount payment of money or goods, accepted in lieu of taxes owed.
7. a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out, such as the drilling or storage of oil or the generation of electricity by solar power.
8. Informal: Often Disparaging and Offensive. a place or business that serves a specified type of client or customer:

   Sending people to so-called fat farms rarely increases their health.

   Gone are the days when inpatient mental health care was commonly referred to as the “funny farm.”

9. a business or place that turns out specified products or services in the manner of a factory; a mill:

   an online content farm.

10. English History.
    1. the rent or income from leased property.
    2. the condition of being leased at a fixed rent; possession under lease; a lease.
11. Also called farm team,. Chiefly Baseball. a team in a minor league that is owned by or affiliated with a major-league team, for training or keeping players until ready or needed.
12. Obsolete. a fixed yearly amount payable in the form of rent, taxes, or the like.

verb (used with object)

1. to cultivate (land).
2. to raise (animals, fish, plants, etc.) on land or in water.
3. to take the proceeds or profits of (a tax, undertaking, etc.) on paying a fixed sum.
4. to let or lease (taxes, revenues, an enterprise, etc.) to another for a fixed sum or a percentage (often followed by out ).
5. to let or lease the labor or services of (a person) for hire.
6. to contract for the maintenance of (a person, institution, etc.):

   The county farms its poor.

7. (in a video game) to collect (valuable items) for a character’s use or to sell in the game’s virtual economy by repeatedly performing a task for a reward or killing an enemy for a dropped item:

   I farm crafting supplies just to sell them at the auction house.

verb (used without object)

1. to cultivate the soil; operate a farm.

verb phrase

1. 1. to assign (work, privileges, or the like) to another by financial agreement; subcontract; lease:

      The busy shipyard farmed out two construction jobs to a smaller yard.

   2. to assign the care of (a child or dependent person) to another:

      She farms her elderly aunt out to a retired nurse during the workweek.

   3. Chiefly Baseball. to assign (a player) to a farm.
   4. to exhaust (farmland) by overcropping.
   5. to drill (oil or gas wells), especially by subcontract on land owned or leased by another.

farm

/ fɑːm /

noun

1. 1. a tract of land, usually with house and buildings, cultivated as a unit or used to rear livestock
   2. ( as modifier )

      farm produce

   3. ( in combination )

      farmland

2. a unit of land or water devoted to the growing or rearing of some particular type of vegetable, fruit, animal, or fish

   a fish farm

3. an installation for storage
4. a district of which one or more taxes are leased
5. history
   1. a fixed sum paid by an individual or group for the right of collecting and retaining taxes, rents, etc
   2. a fixed sum paid regularly by a town, county, etc, in lieu of taxes
   3. the leasing of a source of revenue to an individual or group
   4. a fixed tax, rent, etc, paid regularly

verb

1. tr
   1. to cultivate (land)
   2. to rear (stock, etc) on a farm
2. intr to engage in agricultural work, esp as a way of life
3. tr to look after a child for a fixed sum
4. 1. to collect the moneys due and retain the profits from (a tax district, business, etc) for a specified period on payment of a sum or sums
   2. to operate (a franchise) under similar conditions

Derived Forms

• ˈfarmable, adjective

Other Words From

• farm·a·ble adjective
• min·i·farm noun
• non·farm adjective
• pro·farm adjective
• su·per·farm noun
• un·farm·a·ble adjective
• un·farmed adjective
• well-farmed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of farm¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English ferme “lease, rented land, rent,” from Anglo-French, Old French, from Vulgar Latin ferma (unattested), derivative of fermāre (unattested) for Latin firmāre “to make firm, confirm”; firm ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of farm¹

C13: from Old French ferme rented land, ultimately from Latin firmāre to settle

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. buy the farm, Slang. to die or be killed.

More idioms and phrases containing farm

In addition to the idiom beginning with farm , also see buy it (the farm) .

Example Sentences

Goods trade, especially in food and farm exports, has been especially hit by the imposition of new trade barriers.

From BBC

John Tanton grew up as an all-American farm boy in an almost mythologically quaint version of America.

From Salon

She gave him hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then, after her death, her Colcom Foundation, named after the bleak and satirical novel “Cold Comfort Farm,” continued to donate to Tanton’s organizations — more than $150 million.

From Salon

The festival will take place from 25 to 29 June 2025 at Worthy Farm, Somerset, before a fallow year in 2026.

From BBC

Some ministers believe it will only have an impact on relatively wealthy farmers - a couple using all their inheritance tax benefits will be able to pass on a £3m farm tax free.

From BBC

Related Words

• acreage
• estate
• field
• garden
• grassland
• homestead
• lawn
• meadow
• nursery
• orchard
• pasture
• plantation
• ranch