fieldwork

noun field·work \ ˈfēld-ˌwərk \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 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

In 2017, Brusatte and his student Paige dePolo returned to map the site and interpret its tracks in fieldwork funded by the National Geographic Society.

— steve brusatte, National Geographic, "Huge Dinosaur Footprints Discovered on Scottish Coast," 2 Apr. 2018
In January, after an investigation that included fieldwork in Havana, the Federal Bureau of Investigation found no evidence for an attack with powerful energy beams.

— richard stone, Science | AAAS, "Sonic attack or mass paranoia? New evidence stokes debate over diplomats’ mysterious illness," 20 June 2018
So several times a year, groups of U.S. first-responders from various emergency agencies arrive in Israel for a week-long program of ASTI classroom training and fieldwork alongside their Israeli counterparts.

— josh hasten, Jewish Journal, "U.S. first-responders study methodology in Israel," 3 July 2018
Many colleges connect student learning with practice by incorporating fieldwork or case studies into curricula.

— john king, Teen Vogue, "Former Secretary of Education John King on Why Colleges Need to Support Student Activism," 12 June 2018
To overcome these issues, my research group trained our maps on a computational model derived from on-the-ground fieldwork, commonly known as ground-truthing.

— annette m. kim, The Atlantic, "Satellite Images Can Harm the Poorest Citizens," 5 June 2018
Two years ago, a combination of fieldwork and overhauling a rental property literally put me on my back again.

— roy berendson, Popular Mechanics, "The Back Pain Repair Manual," 22 May 2018
Before venturing here, Montes had limited his fieldwork in this geological collision zone to Panama, where telltale rocks are also uncovered.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "Colombian scientists race to study once-forbidden territory before it is lost to development—or new conflict," 26 Apr. 2018
In 2014 a team of anthropologists published a Survey of Academic Field Experiences, an anonymous online survey of researchers involved in fieldwork.

— michael balter, Scientific American, "Leading Science Museum Turns the Page on a Prominent #MeToo Case," 21 May 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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

nonchalant

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

Words at Play

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

The Difference Between Dependent and Independent Clauses

'Cliché': We’ve Heard It All Before

Some Notes On 'Asshat'

Ask the Editors

Ghost Word

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

Literally

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

Word Games

The Eponym Quiz

Semantic Drift Quiz

Spell It

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

The Eponym Quiz

Come Back Here With That: 10 Fun Words for Stealing

Trending: WaPo: Doocy 'Incomparably Sequacious'

Ghost Word

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

Words We're Watching: 'Low-key'

The Eponym Quiz

Come Back Here With That: 10 Fun Words for Stealing

Trending: WaPo: Doocy 'Incomparably Sequacious'

Ghost Word