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

The industrial revolution mechanized agriculture, pushing workers off farms and into cities. —Steve Lohr, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024

Trump announced Brooke Rollins as his pick for agriculture secretary. —Sara Dorn, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024

The testing was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories and the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Oregon State University, agriculture officials said. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 26 Dec. 2024

Agricultural IoT System Sends Power Through the Soil Tennessee Tech University Smart agriculture IoT devices help farmers understand the big picture idea of what is going on all over their land by measuring GPS coordinates, moisture levels, temperatures, acidity, nutrients, and more. —IEEE Spectrum, 23 Dec. 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