area Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
    country.
    • it was a mountainous area
    • Bible country
  2. noun a subject of study
    • it was his area of specialization
    • areas of interest include...
  3. noun a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve
    region.
    • in the abdominal region
  4. noun a particular environment or walk of life
    arena; domain; sphere; orbit; field.
    • his social sphere is limited
    • it was a closed area of employment
    • he's out of my orbit
  5. noun a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function
    • the spacious cooking area provided plenty of room for servants
  6. noun the extent of a 2-dimensional surface enclosed within a boundary
    surface area; expanse.
    • the area of a rectangle
    • it was about 500 square feet in area

WordNet

A"re*a noun
Etymology
L. area a broad piece of level gro. Cf. Are, n.
Wordforms
plural Areas
Definitions
  1. Any plane surface, as of the floor of a room or church, or of the ground within an inclosure; an open space in a building.
    The Alban lake . . . looks like the area of some vast amphitheater. Addison.
  2. The inclosed space on which a building stands.
  3. The sunken space or court, giving ingress and affording light to the basement of a building.
  4. An extent of surface; a tract of the earth's surface; a region; as, vast uncultivated areas.
  5. (Geom.) The superficial contents of any figure; the surface included within any given lines; superficial extent; as, the area of a square or a triangle.
  6. (Biol.) A spot or small marked space; as, the germinative area.
  7. Extent; scope; range; as, a wide area of thought.
    The largest area of human history and man's common nature. F. Harrison.

Webster 1913