agriculture

noun

ag·​ri·​cul·​ture ˈa-gri-ˌkəl-chər How to pronounce agriculture (audio)
: the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products
cleared the land to use it for agriculture
agriculturist noun

Examples of agriculture in a Sentence

They cleared the land to use it for agriculture. the forest was cut down, and the land given over to agriculture
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The economic fallout from deportations is typically focused on the impact to industries with large unauthorized immigrant workforces, such as construction and agriculture. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025 More than 500,000 immigrant workers are part of the agriculture business, with Latinos comprising a fourth of jobs in food manufacturing and service industries. Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025 The push comes as employers report difficulty filling critical roles across industries such as construction, hospitality, agriculture and health care. Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 Others include transportation and distribution, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and construction. Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for agriculture

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin agricultura, from ager field + cultura cultivation — more at acre, culture

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of agriculture was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Agriculture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agriculture. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

agriculture

noun
ag·​ri·​cul·​ture ˈag-ri-ˌkəl-chər How to pronounce agriculture (audio)
: the science or occupation of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock : farming
agriculturist noun
or agriculturalist

More from Merriam-Webster on agriculture

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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