Meaning & use
field
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Meanings
nouncountable
An open area of land, often used to grow crops or keep animals.
Grammar: Countable: a field of wheat, two fields.
Patterns
- a field of something
- in the field
Cows were grazing in the field behind the farm.
The farmer planted corn in the lower field.
We walked across a field of yellow flowers.
nouncountablesport
A marked area where a sport is played.
Grammar: Often with a sport: a football field, a baseball field.
Patterns
- on the field
The players ran onto the field to cheers.
The school is building a new soccer field.
The ball rolled across the field.
nouncountable
A subject of study or an area of work or knowledge.
Grammar: Usually followed by of: the field of medicine.
Patterns
- in the field of something
- a field of study
She is an expert in the field of marine biology.
Teaching is a challenging field to work in.
His field of research is climate change.
nounsingular
The area where practical work or research is carried out, away from an office or laboratory.
Grammar: Usually with the: the field. Often used before a noun, as in field trip.
Patterns
- in the field
- work in the field
Biologists collect data in the field for months.
Sales staff spend most of their time in the field.
The company tested the device in the field.
nouncountablephysics
An area affected by a physical force such as magnetism or gravity.
Grammar: Often with a modifier: a magnetic field.
Patterns
- a field of force
Earth's magnetic field protects us from solar radiation.
A strong electric field surrounded the wires.
verbtransitive
To catch or stop the ball and return it, or to deal with a question, call or request.
Grammar: Takes an object: field a question, field the ball.
Patterns
- field something
The spokesperson fielded questions from reporters for an hour.
She fielded the ground ball and threw to first base.
The helpline fields hundreds of calls a day.
Word forms
| plural | fields |
|---|---|
| third person singular | fields |
| past tense | fielded |
| -ing form | fielding |
Common combinations
- in the field of
- She has worked in the field of education for twenty years.
- field trip
- The class went on a field trip to the science museum.
- level playing field
- Small firms want a level playing field with large companies.
- magnetic field
- A compass needle follows the magnetic field.
- field a question
- He calmly fielded the tough questions.
- take the field
- The home team took the field at seven o'clock.
Synonyms and how they differ
- meadow
- A meadow is a grassy field used for hay or grazing and sounds more picturesque than field.
- pitch
- Pitch is the British word for the marked playing area of some sports, while field is the general word, especially in American English.
- discipline
- Discipline is a formal word for a branch of study, whereas field can also mean an area of work.
- domain
- Domain is more abstract and formal and suggests a sphere of influence or knowledge.
Word family
Commonly confused: field or feud? field or area?
field vs feud
A feud is a long fight between people or families and has a different vowel from field.
field vs area
Area is a general word for a space or region, while field is for a particular subject or open piece of land.
Practice
Which sentence uses field in the sense of an area of study or work?
Choose one answer.
The field of robotics is a subject area. The other sentences use field for farmland, a sports surface and a physical force.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “field”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.