acre

noun

ˈā-kər

archaic : a field especially of arable land or pastureland

acres plural : lands, estate

: any of various units of area

specifically : a unit in the U.S. and England equal to 43,560 square feet (4047 square meters) see Weights and Measures Table

: a broad expanse or great quantity

acres of free publicity

Examples of acre in a Sentence

The house sits on two acres of land. They own hundreds of acres of farmland.

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.

The development would include two seven-story buildings — Union 93 East and West — on 5.6 acres. —

Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2025 The two largest blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, killed 29 people, torched more than 40,000 acres and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. —

Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025 Spanning over 26,000 acres, the park is rich in biodiversity, from towering hardwoods to unique wildlife. —

Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Jan. 2025 The Eaton Fire near Los Angeles left a trail of devastation, consuming homes and vehicles in its path as the blaze charred more than 14,000 acres. —

David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 29 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for acre

Word History

Etymology

Middle English aker, acre, going back to Old English æcer, going back to Germanic *akraz (whence also, with k geminate in West Germanic, Old Saxon akkar "field," Old High German ackar, Old Norse akr "arable land," Gothic akrs "field"), going back to Indo-European *h₂eǵros, whence also Latin ager, "piece of land, field," Greek agrós, Sanskrit ájrah

Note: This Indo-European noun is traditionally linked to the verbal base *h₂eǵ- "drive (cattle, etc.)" (see agent), on the assumption that *h₂eǵ-ros originally meant "pasture," "fallow land," onto which the cattle were driven, and later developed other senses, as "cultivated field." The semantic plausibility of such a derivation has recently been questioned, however.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of acre was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Acre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acre. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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Kids Definition

acre

noun

ˈā-kər

plural : property consisting of land : estate

: a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet (about 4047 square meters) see measure

Etymology

Old English æcer "field, cultivated land"

Geographical Definition

Acre 1 of 2

geographical name (1)

ˈä-krē

-(ˌ)krā

state in western Brazil bordering on Peru and Bolivia; capital Rio Branco area 59,343 square miles (153,698 square kilometers), population 733,559

Acre

2 of 2

geographical name (2)

ˈä-kər

ˈā-kər,

ˈä-krə

variants or Hebrew ʽAkko or Old Testament Accho

ˈä-kō

ˈā-

or New Testament Ptolemaïs

ˌtä-lə-ˈmā-əs

city and port at the head of a bay on the Mediterranean Sea north of Mount Carmel in northwestern Israel population 37,400

Last Updated: 2 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences

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acre

noun

Examples of acre in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near acre

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Geographical Definition

geographical name (1)

geographical name (2)