area

A2 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈɛɹ.i.ə/ UK /ˈɛə.ɹɪ.ə/ See IPA manual

Freq #861

Meanings

1

noun
A particular part of a place or region.

This is a quiet residential area.
2

noun
A part of a room or building used for a particular purpose.

The kitchen area was bright and spacious.
3

noun
A subject or range of activity or knowledge.

Heart health is the doctor's area of expertise.
4

noun
The size of a flat surface, measured in square units.

To find the area of a rectangle, multiply its length by its width.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a particular part of a... region

4 noun · the size of a flat surface,... expansesurface area

Word family

Forms areaeareas

Derived forms area-denialareawayareawideareawiseareiccoareaequal-areainterareamacroareamicroareamultiareasubarea

Related forms areal

Appears in

Phrases (16)

See all

local area
the region immediately surrounding a particular place

Adjective + noun
cover an area
to extend over or span a region

Verb + noun
search an area
to look through a region systematically

Verb + noun
rural area
a region in the countryside, away from cities

Adjective + noun
surrounding area
the region immediately around a central point

Adjective + noun
urban area
a region that is a city or densely populated town

Adjective + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

grey area
a situation that is unclear or not covered by clear rules

Simplified etymology

Area was borrowed directly from Latin area, literally “a vacant piece of level ground.” Its earliest English sense was a space set aside for a particular purpose.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin ārea.

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography

External links

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