Meaning & use
commercial farms
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“commercial farms” is a form of “commercial farm”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Farms that grow crops or raise animals mainly to sell for profit.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'commercial farm'; use it with plural verbs, as in 'Commercial farms are expanding.'
Patterns
- many commercial farms
- commercial farms produce something
- own commercial farms
Commercial farms in the region mostly grow corn and soybeans.
Smallholders often struggle to compete with large commercial farms.
Several commercial farms have switched to organic methods to meet demand.
Word forms
| singular | commercial farm |
|---|
Common combinations
- large commercial farms
- Large commercial farms use combines to harvest quickly.
- commercial farms produce crops
- These commercial farms produce crops for export.
- a network of commercial farms
- The company owns a network of commercial farms in three countries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agribusinesses
- Agribusinesses are farming companies seen as businesses; 'commercial farms' is more neutral and simply describes farms that sell their output.
Opposites
Word family
- commercial farming noun
- the practice of farming for sale rather than for personal use
- farmer noun
- someone who grows crops or keeps animals
Commonly confused: commercial farms or farms?
commercial farms vs farms
'Farms' alone is neutral; adding 'commercial' stresses that the farms operate for profit.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Commercial farms' is plural, so it takes a plural verb like 'sell'. Option A uses a singular verb, and option D confuses farms with farmhouses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “commercial farms”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.