farmer

noun farm·er \ ˈfär-mər \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of farmer

1 : a person who pays a fixed sum for some privilege or source of income

2 : a person who cultivates land or crops or raises animals (such as livestock or fish)

3 : yokel, bumpkin

See farmer defined for English-language learners

See farmer defined for kids

Examples of farmer in a Sentence

My uncle has been a farmer for 60 years.
a young farmer whose family has been growing wheat for many generations

Recent Examples of farmer from the Web

Subsistence farmers from Angola to Kenya use slash-and-burn techniques to fertilise fields with ash and to make charcoal, which nearly 1bn Africans use to cook.

— The Economist, "Africa’s big carbon emitters admit they have a problem," 21 Apr. 2018
But no alternative livelihoods were on offer and many cocoa farmers returned afterwards.

— tim cocks and ange aboa, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ivory Coast, chocolate giants team up to make cocoa production more sustainable," 19 Apr. 2018
In the dark fields, Amish farmers hitched their horses to black buggies and left quietly.

— jason nark, Philly.com, "As milk prices keep falling, more Pa. dairy farmers are calling it quits," 17 Apr. 2018
Five decades ago, before farmers markets were en vogue and growing produce was a fetishized practice, many Sonoma County farmers struggled to make ends meet.

— david ferry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Agritourism helps make small farms viable," 17 Apr. 2018
But these farmers are in danger of losing their livelihood to consolidation.

— matt simon, WIRED, "The Plan to Save California's Legendary Weed From 'Big Cannabis'," 17 Apr. 2018
For now, both farmers are anxious to get crops in the ground.

— Bloomberg.com, "What Trade War? Tariff Threat Isn't Holding Back Soy Market," 16 Apr. 2018
Amid the dryness, farmers placed 1.82 million cattle in feedlots in February, up 7.3 percent from the prior year, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released March 23.

— lydia mulvany / bloomberg, Time, "Why Severe Droughts Could Actually Make Your Hamburgers Cheaper This Summer," 16 Apr. 2018
Afghanistan’s government has launched eradication programs and the U.S. military has supported efforts to try and convince poppy farmers to switch to legal crops.

— jim michaels, USA TODAY, "Coalition air campaign crippling Taliban's drug revenues," 13 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'farmer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of farmer

14th century

farmer Synonyms

Synonyms

agriculturist (or agriculturalist), agronomist, cultivator, grower, planter, tiller;

Antonyms

nonfarmer;

workfolk (or workfolks);

gentleman farmer, sharecropper, subsistence farmer, tenant farmer, yeoman;

homesteader, nester [West];

granger;

rancher, ranchero, ranchman;

Farmer

biographical name Far·mer \ ˈfär-mər \

Definition of Farmer

Fannie Merritt 1857–1915 American cookery expert

Farmer

biographical name

Definition of Farmer

James Leonard 1920–1999 American civil rights leader

FARMER Defined for English Language Learners

farmer

noun

Definition of farmer for English Language Learners

: a person who runs a farm

Learn More about farmer

See words that rhyme with farmer Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for farmer Spanish Central: Translation of farmer Nglish: Translation of farmer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of farmer for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up farmer? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

farmer

Definition of farmer

Examples of farmer in a Sentence

Recent Examples of farmer from the Web

First Known Use of farmer

farmer Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Farmer

Definition of Farmer

Farmer

Definition of Farmer

FARMER Defined for English Language Learners

farmer

Definition of farmer for English Language Learners

Learn More about farmer

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Going Greek: 7 Words from the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Trending: Trump: Den of Thieves and 'Lowlifes'

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes