area

noun

ar·​ea ˈer-ē-ə How to pronounce area (audio)
ˈā-rē-ə
1
: the surface included within a set of lines
specifically : the number of unit squares equal in measure to the surface see Metric System Table, Weights and Measures Table
2
: the scope of a concept, operation, or activity : field
the whole area of foreign policy
3
4
: a particular extent of space or surface or one serving a special function: such as
a
: a part of the surface of the body
b
: a geographic region
5
: a level piece of ground
6
: a part of the cerebral cortex having a particular function

Examples of area in a Sentence

Settlers came to this area from the east. The group visited the area during a hunting trip. in the area surrounding the lake The storm caused damage in many areas along the coast. a bird found only in remote areas of the U.S. in many areas of the world He is the metropolitan area's most popular politician. He lived in an unfashionable area of the city. She set aside a work area in the kitchen. The dining area has extra windows.
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.
On May 8, a hunter discovered human remains on Cedar Mountain, and after alerting authorities about the finding, law enforcement responded to the area and retrieved them, the Kane County Sheriff's Office reported this week. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 22 May 2025 Avoiding areas with a lot of tree coverage or power lines. Alyssa Hui-Anderson, Verywell Health, 21 May 2025 By distributing workloads and routing workloads to the appropriate area of cloud infrastructure (where compute processing engines are underutilized and ripest for taking on jobs), Red Hat hopes to be able to provide a more cost-effective route to functional AI. Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025 Oilers general manager Stan Bowman did much to address this area during the 2024-25 season. Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for area

Word History

Etymology

Latin, open space, threshing floor; perhaps akin to Latin arēre to be dry — more at arid

First Known Use

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at sense 5

Time Traveler
The first known use of area was circa 1552

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/area. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

area

noun
ar·​ea ˈar-ē-ə How to pronounce area (audio)
ˈer-
1
: a particular piece of ground or extent of space often set aside for special use
a picnic area
a waiting area
2
: the surface inside a figure or shape
especially : the number of unit squares equal to the amount of space the surface covers
a circle with an area of 500 square meters
3
: region sense 2a
a farming area
4
: a field of activity or study
5
: a part of the brain having a particular function (as vision or hearing)
Etymology

from Latin "open space, threshing floor" — related to aerie

Medical Definition

area

noun
: a part of the cerebral cortex having a particular function see association area, motor area, sensory area

More from Merriam-Webster on area

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