fieldwork

noun field·work \ ˈfēld-ˌwərk \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of fieldwork

1 : a temporary fortification thrown up by an army in the field

2 : work done in the field (as by students) to gain practical experience and knowledge through firsthand observation

3 : the gathering of anthropological or sociological data through the interviewing and observation of subjects in the field

—

field-worker

play \ˈfēld-ˌwər-kər\ noun

See fieldwork defined for English-language learners

Examples of fieldwork in a Sentence

an anthropologist who has done fieldwork in the South Pacific

Recent Examples of fieldwork from the Web

Mayesha Alam recently returned from conducting research fieldwork in Rohingya refugee settlements in Bangladesh.

— mayesha alam, Washington Post, "How the Rohingya crisis is affecting Bangladesh — and why it matters," 12 Feb. 2018
But collecting the snow samples would require a month of fieldwork, and Zatko had no funding to cover the costs.

— jeffrey brainard, Science | AAAS, "Want to crowdfund your science? New study hints at who is successful," 26 Mar. 2018
National Geographic Explorer Patrick Kennedy and a team of researchers were inspired to study the mysteries of altruism from their previous fieldwork on a highly social and cooperative species: wasps.

— nick lunn, National Geographic, "Animals, Like Wasps, Become More Altruistic in Changing Environments," 7 Mar. 2018
That explains projects like Utah’s Mars Desert Research Station, a faux-Martian habitat for long-duration fieldwork for a hypothetical, future Martian expedition.

— ingrid burrington, The Atlantic, "New Mexico’s Sad Bet on Space Exploration," 2 Mar. 2018
The resulting film is a cross between an erotic thriller and slow-burn spy procedural, showing both the daily grind of office work and only slightly more glamorous fieldwork.

— katie kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, "How 'Red Sparrow' Author Made the Film More "Authentically CIA"," 1 Mar. 2018
Property Valuation Administrators Local officials who set values of property for tax purposes told a House committee they will be cut by 23 percent, which will result in layoffs, less fieldwork and less revenue for the state and local governments.

— tom loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Roads, libraries and wildlife habitats: You probably haven't heard of these budget cuts," 12 Feb. 2018
The landowners had installed T-posts and cattle posts around the visible grave markers providing some protection, K&V’s fieldwork revealed in September.

— nancy daly, Cincinnati.com, "Amazon seeks to relocate graves for NKY Prime Air project," 21 Jan. 2018
In the mid-20th century, the American anthropologist Gerald Berreman returned home from fieldwork in India as the civil rights movement was getting underway.

— subramanian shankar, Houston Chronicle, "Do we have a caste system in Houston and America?," 26 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of fieldwork

1686

FIELDWORK Defined for English Language Learners

fieldwork

noun

Definition of fieldwork for English Language Learners

: the work of gathering information by going into the field (sense 4)

Learn More about fieldwork

See words that rhyme with fieldwork Britannica English: Translation of fieldwork for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fieldwork

Seen and Heard

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

show

fieldwork

Definition of fieldwork

field-worker

Examples of fieldwork in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fieldwork from the Web

First Known Use of fieldwork

FIELDWORK Defined for English Language Learners

fieldwork

Definition of fieldwork for English Language Learners

Learn More about fieldwork

Seen and Heard

WORD OF THE DAY

traduce

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Words of the Year: 1066

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

More Confusing Words—Quiz

Name That Thing

Syn City

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

fieldwork

Definition of fieldwork

field-worker

Examples of fieldwork in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fieldwork from the Web

First Known Use of fieldwork

FIELDWORK Defined for English Language Learners

fieldwork

Definition of fieldwork for English Language Learners

Learn More about fieldwork

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