fieldwork

noun

field·​work ˈfēld-ˌwərk 

1

: a temporary fortification thrown up by an army in the field

2

: work done in the field (as by students) to gain practical experience and knowledge through firsthand observation

3

: the gathering of anthropological or sociological data through the interviewing and observation of subjects in the field

field-worker

ˈfēld-ˌwər-kər 

noun

Examples of fieldwork in a Sentence

an anthropologist who has done fieldwork in the South Pacific

Recent Examples on the Web

The Siena Research Institute at Siena University and Reconnaissance Market Research (ReconMR) fielded the poll, with additional fieldwork by the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida. — New York Times, 29 June 2026

Roy, who practices critical care medicine in Kolkata, developed the film through two years of fieldwork with rural villages and slum communities across West Bengal. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 June 2026

Castaneda, Marshall writes, made an end run around the department’s Yaqui expert, with the other committee members overly impressed by his au courant melange of fieldwork and gauzy ruminations, despite the fact that his timelines and grasp of mycology didn’t make sense. — Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026

As planetary geologists, my colleagues and I are excited by this next phase of lunar exploration as humans get closer to the prospect of in-person fieldwork on the Moon again. — Margaret Landis, The Conversation, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fieldwork

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• clockwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• earthwork