I. park 1 S1 W2 /pɑːk $ pɑːrk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: parc , from Medieval Latin parricus ]
1 . a large open area with grass and trees, especially in a town, where people can walk, play games etc:
Let’s go for a walk in the park.
a park bench
a flat overlooking Hyde Park
2 . a large area of land in the country which has been kept in its natural state to protect the plants and animals there
national/state/county park
the Lake District National Park
3 . British English a large enclosed area of land, with grass and trees, around a big house in the countryside
4 . the park British English informal the field where a game of football or ↑ rugby is played SYN the pitch :
He was easily the best player on the park.
5 . American English informal the field where a game of baseball is played
⇨ ↑ amusement park , ↑ ball park (1), ↑ car park , ↑ national park , ↑ safari park , ↑ science park , ↑ theme park , ↑ trailer park
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THESAURUS
■ places where people do sport
▪ field ( also pitch British English ) a large area of ground, usually covered with grass, where team sports are played:
A few kids were playing on the football field.
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a hockey field
▪ stadium a large sports field with seats all around it for people to watch team sports or track and field competitions:
The atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium was amazing.
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a football stadium
▪ ground British English a sports field and the seats and buildings around it, belonging to a particular football, rugby, or cricket team:
I met my friends inside the ground.
▪ ballpark/park American English a stadium where baseball is played:
Busch Stadium is one of the newest ballparks in Major League.
▪ court an area with lines painted on the ground, for tennis, badminton, basketball, or volleyball:
The hotel has four tennis courts and a volleyball court.
▪ diamond the area in a baseball field that is within the shape formed by the four bases. The diamond can also be the whole field:
The pitcher stands in the middle of the diamond.
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There’s a playground, a picnic area, and a baseball diamond.
▪ track a circular path with lines on it, for running on:
In the relay, each runner runs once around the track.
▪ gym a room with machines which you can use to do exercises:
He spends an hour in the gym every day.
▪ pool/swimming pool a place where you can swim:
He jumped into the deep end of the pool.
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I’ll meet you outside the swimming pool.
▪ sports centre British English , sports center American English a building where you can play many types of indoor sports:
Why not do exercise classes at your local sports centre?
▪ health club a small sports centre, where you pay to be a member:
How much does it cost to join a health club?
II. park 2 S2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to put a car or other vehicle in a particular place for a period of time:
You can’t park here – it’s private property.
I couldn’t find anywhere to park.
She parked the car on the drive.
a line of parked cars
2 . [transitive] spoken to put something in a particular place for a period of time, especially in a way that annoys someone
park something on/in etc something
He parked a load of papers on my desk.
3 . park yourself informal to sit down in a particular place, especially with the intention of staying a long time
park yourself on/in etc
Connie parked herself on the sofa.
park up phrasal verb
to put a car or other vehicle in a particular place for a period of time SYN park