field
field
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "field" is /fiːld/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
/fiːld/
/f/ - voiceless labiodental fricative
/iː/ - long close front unrounded vowel
/l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: field
Plural Noun: fields
Verb (base form): field
Verb (third person singular present): fields
Verb (present participle): fielding
Verb (past tense/past participle): fielded
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A piece of open land, especially one used for pasture or cultivation.
Synonyms: meadow, pasture, plot, farmland, expanse
Antonyms: forest, city, ocean, desert (in the sense of uncultivated, barren land)
Definition: An area of activity or interest within a particular subject or profession.
Synonyms: domain, sphere, discipline, realm, area, sector
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; concepts are too broad for simple opposites. One might consider "ignorance" or "unspecialized" as conceptual opposites.)
Definition: A playing area for a sport or game.
Synonyms: pitch, ground, arena, court, stadium
Antonyms: stands, sidelines, dugout (referring to parts of a sports venue, not the playing area itself)
Definition: (Physics) A region in which a force (such as gravity or magnetism) is exerted.
Synonyms: zone, region, area, domain
Antonyms: vacuum, void (in the sense of absence of a force field)
Verb
Definition: To catch or pick up a ball (in sports) and throw it back.
Synonyms: catch, gather, retrieve, collect
Antonyms: drop, miss, fumble
Definition: To answer questions, especially difficult or unexpected ones, from an audience or interviewers.
Synonyms: handle, address, respond to, deal with, manage
Antonyms: ignore, evade, deflect
Definition: To put a team or candidate into a competition or election.
Synonyms: enter, submit, present, put forward, nominate
Antonyms: withdraw, disqualify, remove
Examples of Use
Books:
"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck: "They came to a field of barley and stopped in the shade of a sycamore tree." (Steinbeck, J. Of Mice and Men. 1937)
"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling: "They soared over the Quidditch field, the wind whipping through their hair." (Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 1997)
"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari: "Agriculture fundamentally changed human society, allowing us to settle in one place and cultivate fields." (Harari, Y.N. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. 2014)
Newspapers:
"Farmers report record yields from their corn fields despite challenging weather conditions this season." (The New York Times, 2024)
"The politician expertly fielded tough questions from reporters during the press conference." (The Guardian, 2025)
"Researchers in the field of artificial intelligence are making rapid advancements in machine learning." (The Wall Street Journal, 2025)
Online Publications:
"Google is expanding its reach into new fields of technology, including quantum computing." (TechCrunch, 2025)
"A team of archaeologists discovered ancient artifacts in a newly excavated field near the historic site." (National Geographic Online, 2025)
"The environmental activist called for more sustainable farming practices to protect natural fields and biodiversity." (The Huffington Post, 2025)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the movie Field of Dreams, a man builds a baseball field in his cornfield. (Universal Pictures, 1989)
Television Series: "The detective was known for his sharp mind and his ability to field difficult cases that no one else could solve." (From a police procedural drama, e.g., Law & Order, aired 2024)
Video Games: Many open-world video games feature vast fields that players can explore, often for resources or quests (e.g., The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nintendo, 2017).
Music: The song "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young includes the lyric, "But there's a full moon risin', let's go dancing in the light, we know where the music's playin', let's go out and feel the night. Because I'm still in love with you, on this harvest moon." While not explicitly "field," the imagery of "harvest moon" strongly evokes agricultural fields. (Neil Young, Harvest Moon, 1992)
Podcasts: "In this episode, we'll be discussing the latest breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience." (From a science podcast, e.g., Science Friday, 2025)
General Public Discourse:
"Let's meet up in the field for a game of frisbee later." (Casual conversation among friends)
"He's a true expert in his field, always staying up-to-date with the latest research." (Professional conversation)
"The company is looking for candidates with experience in the field of renewable energy." (Job advertisement/Recruitment discussion)
"The brave soldiers were deployed to the field of battle." (Discussions about military operations)
10 Famous Quotes Using Field
"Build it, and he will come." (Attributed to the voice in Field of Dreams)
"The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates, often paraphrased in the philosophical field)
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken," often interpreted metaphorically as choices in one's life field)
"Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge." (Carl Sagan, emphasizing the nature of the scientific field)
"A man's got to know his limitations." (Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, implying one's personal field of capability)
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, a strategic principle applicable to various fields of conflict)
"Never, never, never give up." (Winston Churchill, a rallying cry for perseverance in any field of endeavor)
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic" speech, widely known as "The Man in the Arena" speech, using "arena" as a synonym for "field of action")
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." (Wayne Gretzky, a common motivational quote in the field of sports and beyond)
"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." (Sun Tzu, The Art of War, a core principle in the military field)
Etymology
The word "field" has a long and interesting history, tracing its roots back through ancient languages.
In its earliest known use, dating back to the Old English period (before 1150 AD), "field" meant a "plain, pasture, or open land," specifically an area that was open and not covered by forests or buildings. It also referred to a piece of land that was set aside for farming (cultivation) or for animals to graze (pasture). This meaning comes from the Old English word "feld," which itself came from a much older Proto-Germanic word "felþuz" meaning "flat land."
If you go even further back in time, the ultimate ancestor of "field" is believed to be a Proto-Indo-European root word, "pleh₂-" which meant "field, plain" or "pleth₂-" meaning "flat." You can see how the idea of a flat, open space has stayed with the word for thousands of years.
Over time, the meaning of "field" expanded. By around the 1300s, it also started being used to mean a "battle-ground." Later, in the mid-14th century, it took on the more general sense of a "sphere or range of any related things," like a "field of study." The "ie" spelling in "field" is thought to have come from the influence of Anglo-French scribes during the Middle English period.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Field
Field day: A day of outdoor sports and fun; also, a time of great success or opportunity (e.g., "The reporters had a field day with the scandal.").
Level the playing field: To make a situation fair for everyone involved.
In the field: Working outside of an office, in a practical or real-world setting (e.g., "Researchers are in the field collecting data.").
Field of vision: The entire area that can be seen at one time without moving the eyes.
Field of dreams: A place or situation where one's hopes and aspirations can be realized (from the movie title).
Field of inquiry/study: A particular branch of knowledge or academic discipline.
Field of fire: The area that a weapon or group of weapons can effectively cover with gunfire.
Open the field: To make a competition or opportunity available to more participants.
Clear the field: To remove all obstacles or competitors, leaving the way open for one.
Play the field: To date many different people without committing to one (often used in a casual dating context).
Take the field: To begin a game or competition (especially in sports).
Stay out of the field: To avoid getting involved in a particular area or conflict.
Left the field: Withdrew from a competition or situation.
Run the field: To dominate or control a particular area or competition.
Back in the field: Returning to active duty or work after a period of absence.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of field from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
