acre-foot

American  

[ey-ker-foot] / ˈeɪ kərˈfʊt /

noun

1. a unit of volume of water in irrigation: the amount covering one acre to a depth of one foot, equal to 43,560 cubic feet.

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acre-foot British  

noun

1. the volume of water that would cover an area of 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot: equivalent to 43 560 cubic feet or 1233.5 cubic metres

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Etymology

Origin of acre-foot

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

In California, Arizona and Nevada, the federal government supplies more than 7 million acre-feet of water, about 14 times the total water usage of Los Angeles, for less than $1 per acre-foot.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2025

Jennings, who heads the state cloud-seeding program, estimates it produces an acre-foot of water, or about 325,000 gallons, for $30, compared with more than $1,000 to produce the same amount with recycling or desalination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

An acre-foot serves about two to three U.S. households per year.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2024

One acre-foot of water is enough to supply two households for one year.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 15, 2024

After they have bought the water rights then they must pay for every acre-foot they use.

From The Winning of Barbara Worth by Wright, Harold Bell