FIELD

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does field mean? 

• FIELD (noun)
  The noun FIELD has 17 senses:

1. a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed

2. a region where a battle is being (or has been) fought

3. somewhere (away from a studio or office or library or laboratory) where practical work is done or data is collected

4. a branch of knowledge

5. the space around a radiating body within which its electromagnetic oscillations can exert force on another similar body not in contact with it

6. a particular kind of commercial enterprise

7. a particular environment or walk of life

8. a piece of land prepared for playing a game

9. extensive tract of level open land

10. (mathematics) a set of elements such that addition and multiplication are commutative and associative and multiplication is distributive over addition and there are two elements 0 and 1

11. a region in which active military operations are in progress

12. all of the horses in a particular horse race

13. all the competitors in a particular contest or sporting event

14. a geographic region (land or sea) under which something valuable is found

15. (computer science) a set of one or more adjacent characters comprising a unit of information

16. the area that is visible (as through an optical instrument)

17. a place where planes take off and land

  Familiarity information: FIELD used as a noun is very familiar.

• FIELD (verb)
  The verb FIELD has 4 senses:

1. catch or pick up (balls) in baseball or cricket

2. play as a fielder

3. answer adequately or successfully

4. select (a team or individual player) for a game

  Familiarity information: FIELD used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FIELD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

he planted a field of wheat

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

paddy; paddy field; rice paddy (an irrigated or flooded field where rice is grown)

lawn (a field of cultivated and mowed grass)

grain field; grainfield (a field where grain is grown)

campus (a field on which the buildings of a university are situated)

curtilage; grounds; yard (the enclosed land around a house or other building)

firebreak; fireguard (a narrow field that has been cleared to check the spread of a prairie fire or forest fire)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A region where a battle is being (or has been) fought

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

battlefield; battleground; field; field of battle; field of honor

Context example:

they made a tour of Civil War battlefields

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)

Meronyms (parts of "field"):

battlefront; front; front line (the line along which opposing armies face each other)

sector (a portion of a military position)

Instance hyponyms:

Armageddon ((New Testament) the scene of the final battle between the kings of the Earth at the end of the world)

Camlan ((Arthurian legend) the battlefield where King Arthur was mortally wounded)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Somewhere (away from a studio or office or library or laboratory) where practical work is done or data is collected

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

anthropologists do much of their work in the field

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

region (a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A branch of knowledge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

bailiwick; discipline; field; field of study; study; subject; subject area; subject field

Context example:

anthropology is the study of human beings

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

domain; knowledge base; knowledge domain (the content of a particular field of knowledge)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

futuristics; futurology (the study or prediction of future developments on the basis of existing conditions)

theogony (the study of the origins and genealogy of the gods)

protology (the study of origins and first things)

numerology (the study of the supposed occult influence of numbers on human affairs)

graphology (the study of handwriting (especially as an indicator of the writer's character or disposition))

escapology (the study of methods of escaping (especially as a form of entertainment))

military science (the discipline dealing with the principles of warfare)

divinity; theology (the rational and systematic study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truth)

arts; humanistic discipline; humanities; liberal arts (studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills))

applied science; engineering; engineering science; technology (the discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems)

architecture (the discipline dealing with the principles of design and construction and ornamentation of fine buildings)

occultism (the study of the supernatural)

communication theory; communications (the discipline that studies the principles of transmiting information and the methods by which it is delivered (as print or radio or television etc.))

major (the principal field of study of a student at a university)

frontier (an undeveloped field of study; a topic inviting research and development)

genealogy (the study or investigation of ancestry and family history)

allometry (the study of the relative growth of a part of an organism in relation to the growth of the whole)

bibliotics (the scientific study of documents and handwriting etc. especially to determine authorship or authenticity)

ology (an informal word (abstracted from words with this ending) for some unidentified branch of knowledge)

science; scientific discipline (a particular branch of scientific knowledge)

landscape architecture (the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of large man-made constructs)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The space around a radiating body within which its electromagnetic oscillations can exert force on another similar body not in contact with it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

field; field of force; force field

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

physical phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

electric field (a field of force surrounding a charged particle)

gravitational field (a field of force surrounding a body of finite mass)

flux; magnetic field; magnetic flux (the lines of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a moving charged particle)

radiation field (a field that represents the energy lost from the radiator to space)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A particular kind of commercial enterprise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

field; field of operation; line of business

Context example:

they are outstanding in their field

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

business; business enterprise; commercial enterprise (the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A particular environment or walk of life

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

area; arena; domain; field; orbit; sphere

Context example:

he's out of my orbit

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

environment (the totality of surrounding conditions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

distaff (the sphere of work by women)

front (a sphere of activity involving effort)

kingdom; land; realm (a domain in which something is dominant)

lap (an area of control or responsibility)

political arena; political sphere (a sphere of intense political activity)

preserve (a domain that seems to be specially reserved for someone)

province; responsibility (the proper sphere or extent of your activities)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A piece of land prepared for playing a game

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

athletic field; field; playing area; playing field

Context example:

the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)

Meronyms (parts of "field"):

midfield ((sports) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

pitch; soccer field (a sports field with predetermined dimensions for playing soccer)

bowling green (a field of closely mowed turf for playing bowls)

palaestra; palestra (a public place in ancient Greece or Rome devoted to the training of wrestlers and other athletes)

football field; gridiron (the playing field on which football is played)

court (a specially marked horizontal area within which a game is played)

ball field; baseball field; diamond (the baseball playing field)

arena; scene of action (a playing field where sports events take place)

Holonyms ("field" is a part of...):

arena; bowl; sports stadium; stadium (a large structure for open-air sports or entertainments)

Derivation:

field (play as a fielder)

field (catch or pick up (balls) in baseball or cricket)

Sense 9

Meaning:

Extensive tract of level open land

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

champaign; field; plain

Context example:

he longed for the fields of his youth

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

dry land; earth; ground; land; solid ground; terra firma (the solid part of the earth's surface)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

flood plain; floodplain (a low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding)

tundra (a vast treeless plain in the Arctic regions where the subsoil is permanently frozen)

steppe (extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia))

snowfield (a permanent wide expanse of snow)

peneplain; peneplane (a more or less level land surface representing an advanced stage of erosion undisturbed by crustal movements)

moor; moorland (open land usually with peaty soil covered with heather and bracken and moss)

llano (an extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain (especially in Latin America))

flat (a level tract of land)

Instance hyponyms:

Serengeti; Serengeti Plain (a vast plain in Tanzania to the west of the Great Rift Valley known for its wildlife)

Nullarbor Plain (a vast arid plain of southern Australia stretching inland from the Great Australian Bight; has sparse vegetation and no surface water and is almost uninhabited; the site of a major rocket research center)

Olympia (a plain in Greece in the northwestern Peloponnese; the chief sanctuary of Zeus and the site of the original Olympian Games)

Sense 10

Meaning:

(mathematics) a set of elements such that addition and multiplication are commutative and associative and multiplication is distributive over addition and there are two elements 0 and 1

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

the set of all rational numbers is a field

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

set ((mathematics) an abstract collection of numbers or symbols)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

scalar field (a field of scalars)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A region in which active military operations are in progress

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

field; field of operations; theater; theater of operations; theatre; theatre of operations

Context example:

he served in the Vietnam theater for three years

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

region (a large indefinite location on the surface of the Earth)

Meronyms (parts of "field"):

combat area; combat zone (a military area where combat forces operate)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Holonyms ("field" is a part of...):

theater of war; theatre of war (the entire land, sea, and air area that may become or is directly involved in war operations)

Sense 12

Meaning:

All of the horses in a particular horse race

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

set (a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used)

Domain category:

horse racing (the sport of racing horses)

Sense 13

Meaning:

All the competitors in a particular contest or sporting event

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

set (a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used)

Sense 14

Meaning:

A geographic region (land or sea) under which something valuable is found

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

the diamond fields of South Africa

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

geographic area; geographic region; geographical area; geographical region (a demarcated area of the Earth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

coalfield (a region where there is coal underground)

gasfield (a region where there is natural gas underground)

oilfield (a region rich in petroleum deposits (especially one with producing oil wells))

Sense 15

Meaning:

(computer science) a set of one or more adjacent characters comprising a unit of information

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

set (a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used)

Domain category:

computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

bit field (a field containing only binary characters)

Sense 16

Meaning:

The area that is visible (as through an optical instrument)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

field; field of view

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

visual image; visual percept (a percept that arises from the eyes; an image in the visual system)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

microscopic field (the areas that is visible through a microscope)

operative field (the area that is open during surgery)

Sense 17

Meaning:

A place where planes take off and land

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

airfield; field; flying field; landing field

Hypernyms ("field" is a kind of...):

facility; installation (a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry)

Meronyms (parts of "field"):

apron (a paved surface where aircraft stand while not being used)

runway (a strip of level paved surface where planes can take off and land)

taxi strip; taxiway (a paved surface in the form of a strip; used by planes taxiing to or from the runway at an airport)

flight line (place where airplanes are parked and the maintenance hangars (but not the runways or taxiways))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "field"):

airstrip; flight strip; landing strip; strip (an airfield without normal airport facilities)

aerodrome; airdrome; airport; drome (an airfield equipped with control tower and hangars as well as accommodations for passengers and cargo)

auxiliary airfield (an airfield that functions in a subsidiary capacity)

Holonyms ("field" is a part of...):

transit; transportation; transportation system (a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods)

• FIELD (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Catch or pick up (balls) in baseball or cricket

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "field" is one way to...):

handle; palm (touch, lift, or hold with the hands)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

field (a piece of land prepared for playing a game)

fielder (a member of the cricket team that is fielding rather than batting)

fielding ((baseball) handling the ball while playing in the field)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Play as a fielder

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "field" is one way to...):

play (participate in games or sport)

Domain category:

athletics; sport (an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

field (a piece of land prepared for playing a game)

fielder (a member of the cricket team that is fielding rather than batting)

fielder (a member of the baseball team that is in the field instead of at bat)

fielding ((baseball) handling the ball while playing in the field)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Answer adequately or successfully

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

The lawyer fielded all questions from the press

Hypernyms (to "field" is one way to...):

answer; reply; respond (react verbally)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Select (a team or individual player) for a game

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Context example:

The Buckeyes fielded a young new quarterback for the Rose Bowl

Hypernyms (to "field" is one way to...):

choose; pick out; select; take (pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

 Context examples 

Away ran Catherine, and away ran the dog across the field: but he ran faster than she, and stuck close to the steak.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

The first day's journey was through the green fields and bright flowers that stretched about the Emerald City on every side.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

If you have a home-or family-related matter, an answer will come out of left field and help you resolve it to your complete satisfaction.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Upcoming images will offer even more information, as the comet is quickly covering more space in OSIRIS' field of view.

(Rosetta closing in on comet, NASA)

It is the primary outlet for the 810-square kilometer Yakutat ice field, which drains into Harlequin Lake and, ultimately, the Gulf of Alaska.

(Retreat of Yakutat Glacier, NASA)

After it rains, grazing animals have a field day.

(Sleeping sands of the Kalahari awaken after more than 10,000 years, NSF)

Distinguishing toxic from nontoxic mushroom species is based on first correctly identifying the mushroom and then referencing a mushroom field guide to determine if it is known to contain toxins or not.

(New Test Identifies Poisonous Mushrooms, Agricultural Research Service)

UniSA's Dr Tobias Loetscher says the study provides new links between previously under-investigated eye movements and personality traits and delivers important insights for emerging fields of social signal processing and social robotics.

(Eyes Can Indicate Personality Type, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

On repeating the experiment using only this compound, at the concentrations found in the field, they found that retene can by itself provoke DNA damage and cellular death.

(Lung damage from agricultural fires probed, SciDev.Net)

The discovery could help scientists better understand how brown dwarfs generate magnetic fields.

(Powerful Auroras Found at Brown Dwarf, NASA)