What does "acre" mean?
An English unit of land area (symbol: a. or ac.) originally denoting a day's ploughing for a yoke of oxen, now standardized as 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square metres.
Acre
/ˈeɪ.kə/ name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An English unit of land area (symbol: a. or ac.) originally denoting a day's ploughing for a yoke of oxen, now standardized as 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square metres.
- Grammar: acre is listed as name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acair, acreage, akka, akko.
- Useful contrasts: hectare.
- Usage evidence: The house isn't huge and it's on about two-thirds of an acre, and when we first bought it I spent several hours every week getting the lawnmower fixed and cutting the lawn, in that order.
How to use "acre"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "acre" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "acre" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "acre" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "acre" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "acre" is acting as name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acair" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "acre", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An English unit of land area (symbol: a. or ac.) originally denoting a day's ploughing for a yoke of oxen, now standardized as 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square metres.
"Buried within the Mediterranean littoral are some seventy to ninety million tons of slag from ancient smelting, about a third of it concentrated in Iberia. This ceaseless industrial fueling caused the deforestation of an estimated fifty to seventy million acres of woodlands."
- 2 a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries wordnet
- 3 An English unit of land area (symbol: a. or ac.) originally denoting a day's ploughing for a yoke of oxen, now standardized as 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square metres.; An area of 10,240 square yards or 4 quarters. historical
- 4 Any of various similar units of area in other systems.
- 5 A wide expanse. informal, plural-normally
"I like my new house—there’s acres of space!"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A large quantity. informal, plural-normally
- 7 A field. obsolete
- 8 The acre's breadth by the length, English units of length equal to the statute dimensions of the acre: 22 yd (≈20 m) by 220 yd (≈200 m). obsolete
- 9 A duel fought between individual Scots and Englishmen in the borderlands. obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A port city in northern Israel, holiest city in the Baháʼí Faith.
- 2 A river in South America.
- 3 A surname.
- 4 A state of the North Region, Brazil. Capital: Rio Branco.
Antonyms
Example
"The house isn't huge and it's on about two-thirds of an acre, and when we first bought it I spent several hours every week getting the lawnmower fixed and cutting the lawn, in that order."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "acre"?
Common synonyms include: acair, acreage, akka, akko, arpen, arpent.
How do you use "acre" in a sentence?
The house isn't huge and it's on about two-thirds of an acre, and when we first bought it I spent several hours every week getting the lawnmower fixed and cutting the lawn, in that order.
How do you pronounce "acre"?
Pronounced /ˈeɪ.kə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English acre, aker, from Old English æcer (“field where crops are grown”), from Proto-West Germanic *akr, from Proto-Germanic *akraz (“field”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵros (“field”). Doublet of agriculture. Cognate with Scots acre, aker, acker (“acre, field, arable land”), North Frisian ecir (“field, a measure of land”), West Frisian eker (“field”), Dutch akker (“field”), German Acker (“field, acre”), Norwegian åker (“field”) and Swedish åker (“field”), Icelandic akur (“field”), Latin ager (“land, field, acre, countryside”), Ancient Greek ἀγρός (agrós, “field”), Sanskrit अज्र (ájra, “field, plain”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French and Latin Acre, from Ancient Greek Ἄκο (Áko) or Ἄκη (Ákē), from Hebrew עכו (ʿAkko), of unknown origin.
Etymology 3
From Portuguese Acre, of uncertain origin.
Etymology 4
Probably a variant of Acker or Acree/Ackary, though also possibly Americanization of Norwegian Aakre or Low German Egger.