farmer

noun

farm·​er ˈfär-mər How to pronounce farmer (audio)
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

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 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 Hathaways are farmers, in the English county of Warwickshire, with close ties to the land—some would say too close, at least in the case of Agnes, a young woman so eccentrically at one with nature that she is rumored to have been born of a forest witch. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2025 This year, the Pahang state government has led enforcement operations that involved felling decades-old durian trees and issued eviction notices to farmers, which the farmers have disputed. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025 On top of that, if a farmer intends to use a drone with a spray to spread chemicals like pesticides or fertilizers, the operator is required to obtain a pesticide license from the Office of the Indiana State Chemist. Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 21 Nov. 2025 Therefore, farmers and economists rely more on the USDA reporting flash sales, or crop purchases that exceed a certain volume and warrant their own report. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for farmer

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of farmer was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Farmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farmer. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

farmer

noun
farm·​er ˈfär-mər How to pronounce farmer (audio)
: a person who cultivates land or crops or raises animals

Biographical Definition

Farmer 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

Far·​mer ˈfär-mər How to pronounce Farmer (audio)
Fannie Merritt 1857–1915 American cookery expert

Farmer

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

James Leonard 1920–1999 American civil rights leader

More from Merriam-Webster on farmer

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