field

noun

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\ ˈfēld

Definition of field

(Entry 1 of 6)

1a(1) : an open land area free of woods and buildings

(2) : an area of land marked by the presence of particular objects or features dune fields

b(1) : an area of cleared enclosed land used for cultivation or pasture a field of wheat

(2) : land containing a natural resource oil fields

(3) : airfield

c : the place where a battle is fought also : battle

d : a large unbroken expanse (as of ice)

2a : an area or division of an activity, subject, or profession the field of microbiology

b : the sphere of practical operation outside a base (such as a laboratory, office, or factory) geologists working in the field

c : an area for military exercises or maneuvers

d(1) : an area constructed, equipped, or marked for sports a football field

(2) : the portion of an indoor or outdoor sports area enclosed by the running track and on which field events are conducted

(3) : any of the three sections of a baseball outfield hits to all fields

3 : a space on which something is drawn or projected: such as

a : the space on the surface of a coin, medal, or seal that does not contain the design

b : the ground of each division in a flag

c : the whole surface of an escutcheon (see escutcheon sense 1)

4 : the individuals that make up all or part of the participants in a contest The election attracted a large field of candidates. especially : all participants with the exception of the favorite or the winner in a contest where more than two are entered

5 : the area visible through the lens of an optical instrument

6a : a region or space in which a given effect (such as magnetism) exists a magnetic field a gravitational field

b : a region of embryonic tissue capable of a particular type of differentiation (see differentiation sense 3) a morphogenetic field

7 : a set of mathematical elements that is subject to two binary operations the second of which is distributive (see distributive sense 3) relative to the first and that constitutes a commutative (see commutative sense 2) group under the first operation and also under the second if the zero or unit element under the first is omitted

8 : a complex of forces that serve as causative agents in human behavior

9 : a series of drain tiles and an absorption area for septic-tank outflow

10 : a particular area (as of a record in a database) in which the same type of information is regularly recorded

from the field

: in field goals as opposed to free throws made 40 percent of his shots from the field

field

adjective

Definition of field (Entry 2 of 6)

: of or relating to a field: such as

a : growing in or inhabiting the fields or open country

b : made, conducted, or used in the field

c : operating or active in the field

field

verb

fielded; fielding; fields

Definition of field (Entry 3 of 6)

transitive verb

1a : to catch or pick up (something, such as a batted ball) and usually throw to a teammate Practice fielding ground balls as much as you can. Work on keeping the ball in front of you.— Michael Goldman

b : to take care of or respond to (something, such as a telephone call or a request) She has been fielding offers from potential buyers.

c : to give an impromptu answer or solution to the senator fielded the reporters' questions

2 : to put into the field field an army field a team also : to enter in competition

intransitive verb

: to play as a defensive player stationed in the field

Field

biographical name (1)

\ ˈfēld

Definition of Field (Entry 4 of 6)

Cyrus West 1819–1892 American financier

Field

biographical name (2)

Definition of Field (Entry 5 of 6)

Eugene 1850–1895 American poet and journalist

Field

biographical name (3)

Definition of Field (Entry 6 of 6)

Marshall 1834–1906 American merchant

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about field

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Examples of field in a Sentence

Noun He gazed out across the fields. She hopes to find work in the health field. She is a pioneer in the field of genetic research. a lawyer who is eminent in his field working in his chosen field a fascinating field of endeavor Verb The shortstop fielded the ground ball. a shortstop who fields his position flawlessly Last week she fielded two offers on her house. His secretary will field requests for more information. The senator fielded the reporters' questions. They expect to field a strong team this year. the greatest fighting force that any nation has ever fielded

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Brink also leads the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage at 60.7%. — oregonlive, "Week 11 in women’s college basketball: How former Oregon high school stars are faring at the Division 1 level," 11 Feb. 2021 The Buffs came into Thursday second in the Pac-12 in 3-point field-goal percentage at 37.9. — Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, "Stanford's NCAA Tournament hopes suffer a setback with loss to Colorado," 11 Feb. 2021 The Jets then moved down the field for the winning field goal. — Bernie Wilson, ajc, "Marty Schottenheimer, NFL coach with 200 wins, dies at 77," 9 Feb. 2021 Texas scored all of its points in overtime at the free-throw line and missed all of their field-goal attempts in the first overtime, resting its hope for a victory almost entirely on its defense. — Dallas News, "Longhorns lose third straight game in 75–67 defeat to Oklahoma State," 6 Feb. 2021 Long derided for his questionable shot selection, hustle and basketball IQ, Wiggins is averaging career-highs in field-goal percentage (46.2), 3-point percentage (40.7) and blocks (1.6). — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "How Andrew Wiggins went from Timberwolves’ scapegoat to Warriors’ answer," 26 Jan. 2021 The 34-year-old Cox was the initial component of a highly successful placekicking unit that includes holder Sam Koch and second-team All-Pro Justin Tucker, the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history. — BostonGlobe.com, "Ravens GM Eric DeCosta begins re-tooling of team’s roster with key cuts," 25 Jan. 2021 The Jazz holding opponents to the third-lowest field-goal percentage overall? — Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, "The 3-pointers get the headlines, but Utah Jazz say defense is an even bigger reason for their winning streak," 25 Jan. 2021 The Bucs passed up a long field-goal attempt, and Brady found Scotty Miller down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown catch with just 1 second remaining. — Steve Megargee, Star Tribune, "Road warriors: Bucs win 31-26 at Green Bay, reach Super Bowl," 24 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The lone exception is Rockland, which will not field a team because of low participation numbers. — Emma Healy, BostonGlobe.com, "Ava Yablonski, Dover-Sherborn teammates pool their efforts to provide tougher competition," 22 Jan. 2021 The Taliban now control or have influence over half the country, and field a wide network of loyal agents. — Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Talk or fight? In Afghanistan, signs Taliban now prefer victory.," 14 Jan. 2021 The Southland is presently left with seven football-playing members (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Orleans do not field football programs), but Central Arkansas has received an invitation to the Atlantic Sun Conference. — Richard Dean, ExpressNews.com, "Why the Texas four left for the Southland for the WAC," 14 Jan. 2021 There were 911 centers in the region that couldn't field calls. — Arkansas Online, "Nashville AT&T blast outages raise telecom network worries," 1 Jan. 2021 New Orleans was a good sport not to field a quarterback either. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Fantasy Football Week 13: Start and Sit," 5 Dec. 2020 Its former executive, L. Brooks Patterson, served in that role beginning in 1992 and was so popular that in 2004, Democrats didn’t even field a candidate to run against him. — Kathleen Gray, New York Times, "In Michigan, a Suburban County That Flipped Blue Isn’t Looking Back," 30 Oct. 2020 Williams Prep did not field a team, so teams played only four district matches. — Greg Riddle, Dallas News, "Notable volleyball storylines, including Denton Guyer’s return to form, a battle for first in 9-6A and 4A playoff schedules," 26 Oct. 2020 Kershaw fell down after coming off the mound while reaching up to try to field the high-chopper. — The Salt Lake Tribune, "Braves hammer Dodgers, take 3-1 leads in NLCS," 16 Oct. 2020

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