Collins English-English Dictionary

field [fiːld]

1. 1. n an open tract of uncultivated grassland; meadow

2. 2. n field of view the area within which an object may be observed with a telescope, microscope, etc

3. 3. n a piece of land cleared of trees and undergrowth, usually enclosed with a fence or hedge and used for pasture or growing crops

   a field of barley

4. 4. n a limited or marked off area, usually of mown grass, on which any of various sports, athletic competitions, etc, are held

   a soccer field

5. 5. n an area that is rich in minerals or other natural resources

   a coalfield

6. 6. n short for battlefield airfield

7. 7. n the mounted followers that hunt with a pack of hounds

8. 8. n all the runners in a particular race or competitors in a competition

9. 9. n the runners in a race or competitors in a competition excluding the favourite

10. 10. n [cricket] the fielders collectively, esp with regard to their positions

11. 11. n a wide or open expanse

    a field of snow

12. 12. n an area of human activity

    the field of human knowledge

13. 13. n a sphere or division of knowledge, interest, etc

    his field is physics

14. 14. n a place away from the laboratory, office, library, etc, usually out of doors, where practical work is done or original material or data collected

15. 15. n (as modifier)

    a field course

16. 16. n the surface or background, as of a flag, coin, or heraldic shield, on which a design is displayed

17. 17. n See field of force

18. 18. n [physics] a region of space that is a vector field

19. 19. n a region of space under the influence of some scalar quantity, such as temperature

20. 20. n [maths] a set of entities subject to two binary operations, addition and multiplication, such that the set is a commutative group under addition and the set, minus the zero, is a commutative group under multiplication and multiplication is distributive over addition

21. 21. n [maths] [logic] the set of elements that are either arguments or values of a function; the union of its domain and range

22. 22. n [computing] a set of one or more characters comprising a unit of information

23. 23. n a predetermined section of a record

24. 24. n [television] one of two or more sets of scanning lines which when interlaced form the complete picture

25. 25. n [obsolete] the open country

    beasts of the field

26. 26. n [modifier] [military] of or relating to equipment, personnel, etc, specifically designed or trained for operations in the field

    a field gun

    a field army

27. 27. vt. [tr] [sport] to stop, catch, or return (the ball) as a fielder

28. 28. vt. [tr] [sport] to send (a player or team) onto the field to play

29. 29. vi. [intr] [sport] (of a player or team) to act or take turn as a fielder or fielders

30. 30. vt. [tr] [military] to put (an army, a unit, etc) in the field

31. 31. vt. [tr] to enter (a person) in a competition

    each party fielded a candidate

32. 32. vt. [tr] [informal] to deal with or handle, esp adequately and by making a reciprocal gesture

    to field a question

33. 33. vt. [Etymology] Old English feld; related to Old Saxon, Old High German feld, Old English fold earth, Greek platus broad