brownfield

noun

brown·​field ˈbrau̇n-ˌfēld How to pronounce brownfield (audio)
often attributive
: a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned

Examples of brownfield in a Sentence

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.
Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of opportunities for her colleagues to replicate her work; the United States is home to anywhere from 450,000 to 1 million brownfields. Lauren Oster, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025 At a once-vacant brownfield on the South Side of Chicago, a semitruck backed into an unassuming warehouse and unloaded a colorful batch of food scraps and spoiled products. Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2025 The blueprint for Elkhart, Indiana, included remaking a neighborhood where low-income residents had been displaced by a highway, and turning one of the Rust Belt’s many brownfields—former industrial locations—into a park. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 Zoom in: The $740 million venture aims to build a housing, shopping and entertainment hub, anchored by a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel, on a 15-acre brownfield on the city's North Shore, near the Rivers Casino. Chrissy Suttles, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brownfield

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brownfield was in 1977

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brownfield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brownfield. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

Legal Definition

brownfield

noun
brown·​field ˈbrau̇n-ˌfēld How to pronounce brownfield (audio)
: a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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