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• acre
  acre

  noun

  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.
• Acre
  Acre

  noun

  a state in W Brazil. 58,900 sq. mi. (152,550 sq. km). Rio Branco.

acre

¹ American  

[ey-ker] / ˈeɪ kər /

noun

• acres
  plural

1. 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.

2. acres,

   1. lands; land.

      wooded acres.

   2. Informal. large quantities.

      acres of Oriental rugs.

3. Archaic. a plowed or sown field.

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idioms

1. forty acres and a mule. mule.

Acre ² American  

[ah-kruh, ah-ker, ey-ker] / ˈɑ krə, ˈɑ kər, ˈeɪ kər /

noun

1. a state in W Brazil. 58,900 sq. mi. (152,550 sq. km). Rio Branco.

2. a seaport in NW Israel: besieged and captured by Crusaders 1191.

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acre ¹ British  

/ ˈeɪkə /

noun

1. a unit of area used in certain English-speaking countries, equal to 4840 square yards or 4046.86 square metres

2. (plural)

   1. land, esp a large area

   2. informal a large amount

      he has acres of space in his room

3. to graze cows on the verge of a road

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Acre ² British  

noun

1. 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)

2. 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)

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acre Scientific  

/ ā′kər /

1. A unit of area in the US Customary System, used in land and sea floor measurement and equal to 43,560 square feet or 4,047 square meters.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-acre
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• acres
  plural

Etymology

Origin of acre

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-

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

acre Acre acres

To keep up with demand, he has started planting 3 acres of fresh lettuce every other week, rather than his typical 1 acre.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

The lab sat on an acre of land in a forest that straddles the border of Abidagba and Iroto villages.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

It quickly grew from half an acre to five acres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

In 2014, they then held their wedding on the 1,200 acre property, which is located in Provence.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

Some farmers used as much as 200 pounds per acre; one, in an extraordinary excess of zeal, applied more than a quarter of a ton to the acre.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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

Mendoza interned at Acre Investment Company, a real-estate investment firm in Pleasanton, Calif., the summer before his sophomore year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

“They are working cooperatively with the investigation into the Pickett fire,” said Sam Singer, a spokesperson for One True Vine, a company that includes Hundred Acre wines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025

Bwalya pays tribute to his team-mates in Heroes' Acre.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2024

Researchers in both Brazil and Bolivia think it likely that the geoglyphs extend continuously between Acre and the Beni.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The Delta is the central hub of California’s water system, providing water for nearly 30 million people and 4 million acres of farmland.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

More than 100 firefighters fought to tackle the flames as they spread over more than 500 acres and destroyed and damaged homes, forcing residents to evacuate.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

West Midlands Fire Service said more than 500 acres of land was affected.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

"For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities."

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

“Maybe four acres? Okay”—she snapped open her laptop—“let’s see what’s available around here.”

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Related Words

• acreage
• estate
• plot
• property