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.
His character only appears in flashbacks of the post-apocalyptic drama as the late husband of Gail (Catherine O'Hara), a marijuana farmer who was killed by Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal). Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025 Aleks is hopeful future years will be more fruitful—and profitable—for the farmer. Don Tse, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025 Once a livestock farmer, Ackerman pivoted the family land to pumpkins back in the ‘80s, after commodity prices crashed and a couple of droughts wreaked havoc on the industry. Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025 Some of the food served will come from the papal estate’s farms while the rest will be brought in from local farmers who follow similar principles of sustainability and care for the environment, the priest said. Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!