/ fiːld; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
AREA OF LAND
1.
[ C ] an area of land in the country used for growing crops or keeping animals in, usually surrounded by a fence, etc. :
People were working in the fields.
a ploughed field
a field of wheat
We camped in a field near the village.
2.
[ C ] (usually in compounds) an area of land used for the purpose mentioned :
a landing field
a medal for bravery in the field (of battle)
—see also airfield , battlefield , minefield
3.
[ C ] (usually in compounds) a large area of land covered with the thing mentioned; an area from which the thing mentioned is obtained :
ice fields
gas fields
—see also coalfield , goldfield , oilfield , snowfield
SUBJECT / ACTIVITY
4.
[ C ] a particular subject or activity that sb works in or is interested in
SYN area :
famous in the field of music
All of them are experts in their chosen field.
This discovery has opened up a whole new field of research.
PRACTICAL WORK
5.
[ C ] (usually used as an adjective) the fact of people doing practical work or study, rather than working in a library or laboratory :
a field study / investigation
field research / methods
essential reading for those working in the field
—see also field trip , fieldwork
IN SPORT
6.
( BrE also pitch ) [ C ] (usually in compounds) an area of land used for playing a sport on :
a baseball / rugby / football, etc. field
a sports field
Today they take the field (= go on to the field to play a game) against county champions Essex.
—see also playing field
7.
( in cricket and baseball ) [ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ] the team that is trying to catch the ball rather than hit it
8.
[ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ] all the people or animals competing in a particular sports event :
The field includes three world-record holders.
IN BUSINESS
9.
[ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ] all the people or products competing in a particular area of business :
They lead the field in home entertainment systems.
PHYSICS
10.
[ C ] (usually in compounds) an area within which the force mentioned has an effect :
the earth's gravitational field
an electro-magnetic field
COMPUTING
11.
[ C ] part of a record that is a separate item of data :
You will need to create separate fields for first name, surname and address.
•
IDIOMS
- leave the field clear for sb | leave sb in possession of the field
- play the field
■ verb
CANDIDATE / TEAM
1.
[ vn ] to provide a candidate, speaker, team, etc. to represent you in an election, a competition, etc. :
Each of the main parties fielded more than 300 candidates.
England fielded a young side in the World Cup.
IN CRICKET / BASEBALL
2.
[ v ] to be the person or the team that catches the ball and throws it back after sb has hit it :
He won the toss and chose to field first.
3.
[ vn ] to catch the ball and throw it back :
He fielded the ball expertly.
QUESTIONS
4.
[ vn ] to receive and deal with questions or comments :
The BBC had to field more than 300 phone calls after last night's programme.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English feld (also denoting a large tract of open country; compare with veld ), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch veld and German Feld .