field
field — verb
1. in baseball, cricket, and similar ball games, to catch or stop a ball that the b
in baseball, cricket, and similar ball games, to catch or stop a ball that the batter has hit and send it back toward the main playing area, so that the batting side cannot score additional points
Amelia fielded the ball cleanly and threw it to first base.
field + ball as direct object
The cricket team spent the whole morning practising how to field.
intransitive use: no object after field
Tomás ran quickly to his left and fielded the ball just before the fence.
During the game, Zuri fielded three ground balls without making a single error.
A skilful fielder can catch the ball and return it in one smooth motion.
文法句型
field + ball / ground ball as direct object
field (no object) meaning to play as a fielder
用法筆記
Most common in baseball and cricket contexts. The transitive form takes the ball as the direct object; the intransitive form describes the general action of playing as a fielder.
常見錯誤
2. to handle or respond to questions, telephone calls, complaints, or requests, esp
to handle or respond to questions, telephone calls, complaints, or requests, especially when many come at once or in a public setting
The company spokesperson fielded questions from reporters for nearly an hour.
field + questions in a press conference setting
Samir had to field dozens of phone calls after the product recall was announced.
field + phone calls when a large number arrive at once
The airport manager fielded complaints about the delayed flights all morning.
During the debate, each candidate fielded tough questions about economic policy.
The helpline team fielded over three hundred requests on the first day of the promotion.
- handle
more general; does not imply a public or large-volume situation
- respond to
more formal, suggesting a deliberate and careful reply
- deal with
neutral and common; can cover any type of situation or problem
文法句型
field + noun phrase (questions, calls, complaints, requests)
用法筆記
Often used in professional or public contexts such as press conferences, customer service, and political debates. The subject is typically a person, a spokesperson, or an organisation receiving multiple enquiries.
常見錯誤
3. to select and dispatch a team, individual player, or working group to compete in
to select and dispatch a team, individual player, or working group to compete in or attend a sporting event, contest, debate, or similar organised occasion
The local football club fielded a strong team for the championship match.
field + team for a sports competition
Our school fielded three players in the regional tennis tournament last spring.
The construction company fielded a group of engineers to work on the new bridge.
Ziad's team fielded their best lineup for the final game of the season.
The university fielded a debating team for the national competition in Taipei.
- send
more general; does not carry the connotation of selection or competition
- put forward
suggests nomination or proposal rather than active participation
- deploy
more formal, with a military or business tone
文法句型
field + noun phrase (team, players, lineup, group)
用法筆記
Originally a sports term, but commonly extended to any organised event where participants are sent. The object is always a group or an individual representing an organisation.
常見錯誤
field — noun
1. a piece of farmland in the countryside where people grow crops or raise animals,
a piece of farmland in the countryside where people grow crops or raise animals, often separated by walls or fences
The farmer planted wheat in the field behind his house.
preposition 'in the field' for location
After the heavy rain, the field was too wet for the tractor.
Élise watched the sheep grazing in the field near the river.
Wei's grandfather used this field to grow vegetables every summer.
The children helped pick corn from the field behind the barn.
- forest
a large area covered with trees, not open land
文法句型
[noun] + in/on/across the field
用法筆記
Often used with prepositions like 'in', 'on', or 'across' to describe location or movement. A field is typically found in the countryside, not in a town.
常見錯誤
2. a real-world setting away from an office, classroom, or laboratory where people
a real-world setting away from an office, classroom, or laboratory where people carry out practical work or collect information
The geology students spent a week doing field work in the mountains.
compound noun: field work
Our professor took the class to the forest for a field study of local plants.
The research team collected water samples during their field visit to the river.
Medical students gain practical experience through field training at village clinics.
The archaeologist found ancient tools while working in the field near Cairo.
- laboratory
a controlled indoor environment for research, the opposite of field work
文法句型
in the field
field + noun (field work / field study / field trip)
用法筆記
This sense appears mainly in compound nouns like 'field work', 'field study', 'field trip', and 'field research'. The phrase 'in the field' means working outside the office or lab.
常見錯誤
3. a flat outdoor area with a grass or artificial surface where people play team sp
a flat outdoor area with a grass or artificial surface where people play team sports like football, rugby, or hockey
The football team practiced on the field every day after school.
preposition 'on the field' for sports
Sofia scored the winning goal on the school's main playing field.
The rugby field was marked with fresh white lines for the weekend match.
Rain flooded the field, so the hockey game was called off.
The school built a new field with artificial grass for outdoor sports.
文法句型
on the field
[sport] field
用法筆記
Different sports use specific terms: 'football field' or 'pitch' (British), 'rugby field', 'hockey field'. In American English, 'field' is used for most outdoor sports; in British English, 'pitch' is more common for football and rugby.
常見錯誤
4. the playing area in a sport, especially when referring to players entering or le
the playing area in a sport, especially when referring to players entering or leaving it at the start or end of a game
The crowd cheered loudly as the team took the field for the final match.
fixed phrase: take the field
Noa was nervous as she stepped onto the field for her first big game.
The referee checked the field carefully before allowing the players to enter.
Both teams were already on the field waiting for the whistle to blow.
The injured player had to leave the field and was replaced by a teammate.
文法句型
take the field
on the field
leave the field
用法筆記
This sense is especially common in fixed phrases like 'take the field' (enter at the start of a game) and 'leave the field' (exit due to injury or at the end). Unlike sense 3, this focuses on the field as the competition space during a match.
5. a specific type of work, study, or activity that a person focuses on or is invol
a specific type of work, study, or activity that a person focuses on or is involved in
Professor Chen is a leading expert in the field of molecular biology.
pattern: in the field of [subject]
Lara decided to enter the field of education after teaching in rural schools.
There have been major advances in the field of artificial intelligence recently.
The conference brought together researchers from different fields of science.
Amira's work in the field of public health has helped many poor communities.
- discipline
a more formal term for a branch of academic study
- domain
an area of knowledge or activity; slightly more formal than field
- branch
a subdivision of a larger area of knowledge
- area
a more general term; 'area of expertise' is common
文法句型
in the field of [subject]
[noun] + field
用法筆記
Commonly used with the prepositional phrase 'in the field of + [subject]'. Also used as a compound modifier: 'field expert', 'field leader', 'field of study'. Distinguish from sense 6, which refers specifically to one person's area of expertise.
常見錯誤
6. a particular area of knowledge or work that someone knows a lot about, especiall
a particular area of knowledge or work that someone knows a lot about, especially in negative expressions about lacking expertise
Linguistics is not really my field, so I cannot help with that paper.
negative expression: not my field
Software engineering is her field, and she has worked in it for over a decade.
That question is outside my field, but a physics professor could answer it.
Ishaan is well known in his field for developing a new teaching method.
Dr. Rivera was praised by experts in her field for the groundbreaking research paper.
- speciality
British spelling; a particular area that someone concentrates on or is expert in
- specialty
American spelling of speciality
- area of expertise
a longer, more formal way to express the same idea
文法句型
possessive + field
[be] + outside/not + possessive + field
用法筆記
This sense almost always appears with a possessive adjective (my, his, her, their) or a genitive noun. The most common phrases are 'not my field', 'outside my field', and 'in her/his field'. Distinguish from sense 5, which is about a general subject area; this sense is about one person's specific expertise.
常見錯誤
7. all the people, teams, or products that are competing against one another in a r
all the people, teams, or products that are competing against one another in a race, contest, or business sector
This year's marathon has a strong field of over fifty runners from twelve countries.
a strong field of + noun — size/composition of competitors
The company faces a competitive field of tech startups all offering similar products.
A field of twelve horses will race for the championship trophy at the track.
The Olympic field included athletes from every continent for the first time this year.
With low prices, the new phone stands out in a crowded field of similar devices.
- competitors
more direct; lists individual participants rather than the group as a whole
- contestants
used mainly for game shows, competitions, or pageants
- entrants
formal; focuses on the act of entering rather than competing
文法句型
a/the field of + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used with adjectives like strong, competitive, crowded to describe the size or quality of the competitor group. Often takes a singular verb even when referring to many participants.
常見錯誤
8. a single unit of information within a database or computer record, used to store
a single unit of information within a database or computer record, used to store one type of data such as a name, number, or date
Each customer record has a field for the postal code and phone number.
field for [data type] — database record structure
The field called "date of birth" must be filled in before you save the form.
Aoi accidentally deleted the email field from the entire customer list.
The search tool lets you sort your results by any field in the spreadsheet.
文法句型
field for + noun
field called + noun
用法筆記
In computing, a field is a column in a table or a named data element in a form. Do not confuse with a 'record' (a complete row of fields) or a 'database' (the collection of records).
常見錯誤
9. a place or area where armed forces fight against each other or where military op
a place or area where armed forces fight against each other or where military operations are carried out
The commander ordered his troops to stay on the field of battle until dawn.
field of battle — fixed expression
Medical teams worked through the night to treat the wounded soldiers on the field.
General Nakamura studied the field carefully before deciding where to position her troops.
After the ceasefire, the field lay silent except for the sound of the wind.
- battlefield
more common in modern English; specifies the exact site of fighting
- combat zone
broader; refers to any area where fighting occurs
- front line
refers to the forward edge of armed conflict
文法句型
on the field
field of battle
用法筆記
Often used in fixed expressions such as field of battle, field of war, or take the field (to begin military operations). In modern usage, battlefield is more common than field alone for this sense.
10. the area around an object within which a physical force, such as magnetism, grav
the area around an object within which a physical force, such as magnetism, gravity, or electricity, can affect other objects
A compass needle points north because it reacts to the Earth's magnetic field.
magnetic field — most common collocation
The electric field around the copper wire grows stronger as the current increases.
Scientists measured the gravitational field of the moon using data from satellites.
Placing two strong magnets close together creates a visible force field between them.
文法句型
[adjective] field
field of + noun
用法筆記
The type of field is always named by the force involved: magnetic field, gravitational field, electric field, electromagnetic field. In physics, this is treated as a region of space with measurable properties at every point.
常見錯誤
11. an area on land or at sea that contains valuable natural materials such as oil,
an area on land or at sea that contains valuable natural materials such as oil, natural gas, coal, or minerals and is used for extracting them
The company discovered a new oil field beneath the North Sea last year.
oil field — most common collocation
Workers at the gas field operate drilling equipment around the clock every day.
The government opened the coal field for mining after reviewing the environmental report.
Felipe studied the geological data before exploring a new gold field in South America.
文法句型
[resource] field
field of + noun
用法筆記
The resource type always precedes the word field: oil field, gas field, gold field, diamond field. This sense is distinct from the suffix -field (as in oilfield or coalfield), which attaches to the resource name to form a compound noun.
常見錯誤
field — suffix
1. added to the name of a valuable natural substance to form a noun that means a la
added to the name of a valuable natural substance to form a noun that means a large area of land or sea floor where that substance is found and taken out for use
The company discovered a large oilfield beneath the North Sea last year.
suffix: oil + field = undersea oil-reserve area
Ayana's father worked at the coalfield in West Virginia for twenty years.
suffix: coal + field = coal-mining site
The abandoned goldfield near Kalgoorlie still attracts amateur prospectors.
Christopher studied the geology of the saltfield in Utah for his PhD project.
A major gasfield discovered off the coast of Mozambique could transform the region's economy.
文法句型
[resource noun] + field
用法筆記
This suffix always attaches directly to the resource noun to form a closed compound (oilfield, coalfield, gasfield). Do not write the two parts as separate words when using this suffix — that pattern belongs to the related noun sense of 'field' (e.g. a field of oil is not the same as an oilfield). The resource noun that precedes -field is almost always a mineral, fossil fuel, or salt.