farm
farm — noun
1. A piece of land with buildings on it, where someone grows crops or keeps animals
A piece of land with buildings on it, where someone grows crops or keeps animals in order to sell them and earn money.
Wren's family has owned a small farm in Vermont for three generations, growing organic vegetables for local markets.
possessive + farm + location; family-owned farm
After university, Rodrigo moved back to his hometown to help his parents run the family farm.
collocation: run a farm
The heavy rain damaged many farms along the river, flooding the wheat fields and barns.
Nila bought a farm in the countryside with an old farmhouse and a big red barn on the property.
- ranch
a large farm for raising cattle, horses, or sheep — more common in the Americas
- homestead
a farmhouse and surrounding land, often with a pioneer or settlement connotation
- smallholding
a very small farm, usually under a few acres, often for personal use
文法句型
on a farm
farm + noun (attributive)
用法筆記
This sense is often used with the preposition 'on': 'work on a farm', 'live on a farm'. In attributive position, it combines freely with other nouns: farmhouse, farmland, farm animal, farm equipment.
常見錯誤
2. A facility built for raising a specific kind of animal or fish in large numbers,
A facility built for raising a specific kind of animal or fish in large numbers, either for sale as food or for the products they supply, such as eggs, milk, or leather.
Emily works at a fish farm up north, where they raise salmon for supermarkets across the region.
compound: fish farm; collocation: raise salmon
The government introduced new safety rules for pig farms after the disease outbreak last spring.
compound: pig farm
Selim visited an oyster farm on the coast and watched how workers grow the shellfish on underwater ropes.
Most chicken farms today use large indoor barns to keep the birds safe from weather and predators.
文法句型
[animal] + farm
farm-raised (compound adjective)
用法筆記
This sense typically appears as the second part of a compound noun naming the type of animal: pig farm, fish farm, dairy farm, chicken farm. The animal comes first, not the product — 'pig farm', not 'pork farm'.
常見錯誤
3. In baseball, a set of lower-level teams linked to a major-league club, intended
In baseball, a set of lower-level teams linked to a major-league club, intended to train and develop young or inexperienced players for eventual play at the top professional level.
The Blue Jays have one of the best farm systems in baseball, producing talented young pitchers every year.
collocation: farm system
Hao spent two seasons in the Yankees' farm before being called up to play in the major leagues.
A strong farm team helps a club save money by developing homegrown players instead of buying expensive stars.
Scouts watched the shortstop at the team's Arizona farm facility during spring training.
- minor league
the broader organizational structure below Major League Baseball; 'farm' refers specifically to the teams affiliated with a particular major-league club
- affiliate
a minor-league team officially linked to a major-league club — more formal term
文法句型
farm system
farm team
in the [team]'s farm
用法筆記
Almost exclusively attributive (farm team, farm system). This meaning is specific to North American baseball and would not be understood by most English speakers outside that context without explanation.
常見錯誤
farm — verb
1. To work land for growing food crops or raising animals as a regular occupation o
To work land for growing food crops or raising animals as a regular occupation or business.
The Koyama family has farmed this land for over a hundred years, passing it down through four generations.
transitive: farmed + this land
Yasmin's grandfather taught her how to farm soybeans without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
transitive with crop name: farm soybeans
After retiring from the city, Henry and his wife started farming vegetables on a small plot behind their house.
Kabir's family farms cattle on the open grasslands of the northern region, moving the herd between pastures each season.
文法句型
farm + land/crops/animals
farm (no object)
用法筆記
Can be used with an object (farm the land, farm wheat) or without (They farm for a living). When farming animals, the pattern is 'farm + animal type': farm cattle, farm sheep.