brownfield

noun

brown·​field ˈbrau̇n-ˌfēld How to pronounce brownfield (audio)
often attributive
: a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned

Examples of brownfield in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For one dollar, a development group with a brownfields specialty has purchased the ultimate fixer-upper — a 33-acre parcel on the Bridgeport waterfront that comes with responsibility to demolish a power plant and its iconic red-and-white smoke stack, remediate the site and redevelop it. Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 20 Nov. 2024 Because of their smaller size—which averages less than 5 megawatts on anywhere up to to a few dozen acres—they can be built over otherwise unusable land like old landfills or on brownfields. Sarah Sax, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024 En route from the Detroit Free Press' downtown newsroom to my home on Detroit’s east side, past massive buildings and construction sites, the city fades to brownfields, where swaths of vacant land and lethargic structures long for new life with bated breath. Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 2024 Investing in brownfields cleanup The Roger Road project is one of 183 grants awarded to communities across the country totaling $233 million in 2024. John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 1 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brownfield 

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brownfield was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near brownfield

Cite this Entry

“Brownfield.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brownfield. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Legal Definition

brownfield

noun
brown·​field ˈbrau̇n-ˌfēld How to pronounce brownfield (audio)
: a tract of land that has been developed for industrial purposes, polluted, and then abandoned
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!