lawn

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈlȯn  ˈlän 

1

archaic : an open space between woods : glade

2

: ground (as around a house or in a garden or park) that is covered with grass and is kept mowed

3

: a relatively even layer of bacteria covering the surface of a culture medium

lawn adjective

or lawny

ˈlȯ-nē 

ˈlä-

lawn

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a fine sheer linen or cotton fabric of plain weave that is thinner than cambric

lawny adjective

Examples of lawn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The New York Police Department arrested more than 100 people last week at an encampment formed by student activists on Columbia University’s main lawn in protest against the Israel-Hamas war. —Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024

Days earlier, on April 17, the campus had woken up to dozens of green tents that had sprung up like mushrooms on a campus lawn. —Nara Milanich, TIME, 26 Apr. 2024

On a sloping lawn at the Kansas City Art Institute on Wednesday, some 130 2D artists took on a 3D challenge that, 28 years since its inception, has grown into a zany Kansas City tradition. —Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2024

As new protests were emerging, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, visited the Columbia campus in New York, where university officials were seeking to negotiate with protest leaders to end the encampment of around 80 tents still pitched on a central campus lawn. —Jenna Russell, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

While Shafik was in Washington, students set up camps on lawns at the center of campus, demanding the university sever all its ties to Israel. —John Bacon, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024

He was also seen climbing into the bed of someone's pickup truck and going through their belongings, as well as removing a sign placed at a home by pest control warning them to keep pets and children off the lawn. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2024

The encampment copied a similar encampment last week on lawns at Columbia University in New York City that led to police arresting more than 100 students, according to media reports and the Columbia Daily Spectator, a student newspaper staffed by undergraduates. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024

Each room overlooks the back lawn, and there are two private terraces, one off the bedroom and the other off the bathroom. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English launde, from Anglo-French land, launde wood, unwooded field, of Celtic origin; akin to Middle Irish lann land — more at land

Noun (2)

Middle English lawne, laund, probably from Laon, France

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lawn

• lawn bowling
• lawn chair
• lawn mower
• lawn party
• lawn tennis
• mow the lawn

Kids Definition

lawn

1 of 2 noun

ˈlȯn 

ˈlän

: ground covered with grass that is kept mowed

lawn

2 of 2 noun

: a fine sheer linen or cotton fabric

Etymology

Noun

Middle English launde "an open space between woods," from early French lande "land overgrown with shrubs"; of Celtic origin

Noun

Middle English lawn "a sheer fabric," probably from Laon, a town in France where linen was made

Medical Definition

lawn

noun

ˈlȯn, ˈlän 

: a relatively even layer of bacteria covering the surface of a culture medium