area

[ air-ee-uh ]

noun

1. any particular extent of space or surface; part:

   the dark areas in the painting;

   the dusty area of the room.

2. a geographical region; tract: the unsettled areas along the frontier.

   the Chicago area;

   the unsettled areas along the frontier.

3. any section reserved for a specific function: the dining area of a house.

   the business area of a town;

   the dining area of a house.

4. extent, range, or scope:

   inquiries that embrace the whole area of science.

5. field of study, or a branch of a field of study:

   Related areas of inquiry often reflect borrowed notions.

6. a piece of unoccupied ground; an open space.
7. the space or site on which a building stands; the yard attached to or surrounding a house.
8. British. areaway ( def 1 ).
9. the quantitative measure of a plane or curved surface; two-dimensional extent.
10. Anatomy. a zone of the cerebral cortex having a specific function:

    The damage to Broca's area affected his speech.

area

/ ˈɛərɪə /

noun

1. any flat, curved, or irregular expanse of a surface
2. 1. the extent of a two-dimensional surface enclosed within a specified boundary or geometric figure

      the area of Ireland

      the area of a triangle

   2. the two-dimensional extent of the surface of a solid, or of some part thereof, esp one bounded by a closed curve

      the area of a sphere

3. a section, portion, or part

   an area of the sky

   an area of the body

4. region; district; locality

   a mountainous area

5. 1. a geographical division of administrative responsibility
   2. ( as modifier )

      area manager

6. a part or section, as of a building, town, etc, having some specified function or characteristic

   reception area

   commercial area

   slum area

7. Also calledareaway a sunken area, usually enclosed, giving light, air, and sometimes access to a cellar or basement
8. the range, extent, or scope of anything
9. a subject field or field of study
10. any unoccupied or unused flat open piece of ground
11. the ground on which a building stands, or the ground surrounding a building
12. anatomy any of the various regions of the cerebral cortex
13. computing any part of a computer memory assigned to store data of a specified type

area

/ âr′ē-ə /

1. The extent of a surface or plane figure as measured in square units.

Derived Forms

• ˈareal, adjective

Other Words From

• ar·e·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of area¹

First recorded in 1530–40; fram Latin ārea “vacant piece of level ground, open space in a town, threshing floor”; perhaps akin to ārēre “to be dry”; arid

Word History and Origins

Origin of area¹

C16: from Latin: level ground, open space, threshing-floor; related to ārēre to be dry

Idioms and Phrases

see gray area .

Example Sentences

You can leave your main vehicle and camping gear at the site and explore the surrounding area, allowing you to access rivers and trailheads with ease.

From Outside Online

We’re seeing encouraging signs in different parts of the business, in some areas getting close to pre-pandemic levels.

From Digiday

Voting procedures in your area may have changed because of the pandemic, so be aware of your options and make a voting plan now.

From ProPublica

The upper pop-top area provides over seven feet of standing room when cooking or hanging out and then transitions into a long, fold-down bed for two.

From Outside Online

This work includes areas related to activism, practice and policy, journalism, education, as well as programs and service.

From Washington Blade

Historically the reelection rate for members of Congress is in the area of 95 percent.

From The Daily Beast

The benefits of incumbency are quite potent, especially in the all-important area of raising campaign funds.

From The Daily Beast

As he drove me back to the logging road, Frank told me about the area in his deep voice.

From The Daily Beast

His neighbors include some of the other designer outposts one finds speckled around the area.

From The Daily Beast

The area is 98 percent white, and the Klan has a strong foothold even to this very day.

From The Daily Beast

By their agreement with the owner, the Company have the right of mining under an area of 185 acres, at a royalty of 6d.

From Project Gutenberg

If you did fail, you would try Exclusion, and you would find nothing which is the antithesis of the area of New York.

From Project Gutenberg

The total area of land purchased for the carrying-out of the scheme is put at 215,317 square yds.

From Project Gutenberg

That with the increased area of the pallet is why the lower notes of the organ were so hard to play.

From Project Gutenberg

Considerable quantities of chromic iron are found on the hills in this area, which embraces about six hundred acres.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• city
• county
• field
• locality
• neighborhood
• section
• sector
• square
• state
• territory
• township
• zone