agriculture

noun

ag·​ri·​cul·​ture ˈa-gri-ˌkəl-chər 

: the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products

cleared the land to use it for agriculture

agriculturist

ˌa-gri-ˈkəl-ch(ə-)rist 

noun

or agriculturalist

ˌa-gri-ˈkəl-ch(ə-)rə-list 

Synonyms

• farming
• husbandry

Examples of agriculture in a Sentence

They cleared the land to use it for agriculture.

the forest was cut down, and the land given over to agriculture

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the current plan, agriculture would incrementally reduce water use by 640 acre-feet of water every year, until year 10. —Clara Migoya, The Arizona Republic, 29 Nov. 2024

Kelly Loeffler for agriculture secretary Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was widely thought to be Trump’s selection for agriculture secretary. —Andi Shae Napier, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 29 Nov. 2024

Zoom in: Key to the plan is to review thousands of water concessions, or the permits to extract groundwater for industries like agriculture, breweries, or manufacturing. —Marina E. Franco (noticias Telemundo For Axios), Axios, 26 Nov. 2024

Chinese immigrants now worked in all sorts of West Coast industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, woodcutting, and mining. —Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin agricultura, from ager field + cultura cultivation — more at acre, culture

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing agriculture

• community-supported agriculture

Kids Definition

agriculture

noun

ag·​ri·​cul·​ture ˈag-ri-ˌkəl-chər 

: the science or occupation of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock : farming

agriculturist

ˌag-ri-ˈkəlch- (ə-)rəst 

noun

or agriculturalist

-(ə-)rə-ləst