field
Primary: nounCan function as: noun, verb
Zero derivation from noun to verb (to field questions)
🔊 Pronunciation
/fiːld/
Syllables: field
Stress: single syllable
Long 'i' sound, final 'd' can be difficult for some L2 speakers
📝 Noun Forms
| Singular: | field |
| Plural: | fields |
| Possessive: | field's |
Compound Forms
cornfield, battlefield, minefield, oilfield, fieldwork
🎯 Verb Forms
| Infinitive: | to field |
| Base form: | field |
| 3rd person singular: | fields |
| Past simple: | fielded |
| Past participle: | fielded |
| Present participle: | fielding |
| Gerund: | fielding |
📖 Meanings & Definitions
Noun Meanings
1
area of open land, especially one used for farming or sports
Countability: countable
“The cows are grazing in the field”
“They played soccer on the field”
Common collocations: open field, corn field, playing field
Synonyms: meadow, pasture, ground
neutralagriculture/sports
2
area of study or knowledge
Countability: countable
“She's an expert in the field of neuroscience”
Common collocations: field of study, field of research, field expert
Synonyms: discipline, area, domain
neutralacademic
3
area where a battle is fought
Countability: countable
“The soldiers died on the field of battle”
Common collocations: battlefield, field of battle
Synonyms: battlefield, battleground
formalmilitary
Verb Meanings
1
to handle or respond to questions or criticism
“The politician fielded questions from reporters”
Synonyms: handle, deal with, respond to
neutralgeneral
🔧 Verb Patterns
field + object
“She fielded the difficult questions well”
Note: typically used with questions, calls, or criticism
Transitivity
Type: transitive
Passive possible: Yes
Passive examples:
“The questions were fielded by the spokesperson”
🤝 Collocations
Verb + Noun
Adjective + Noun
⚠️ Common Errors
❌ He is working in field of medicine→✓ He is working in the field of medicine
Missing article 'the'
Common for: Languages without articles (Russian, Japanese)
Medium impact
❌ She fields in the team→✓ She plays in the field/She fields for the team
Incorrect verb usage
🌍 Etymology
Origin: Old English 'feld', related to Dutch 'veld' and German 'Feld'
Original meaning: “open land”
Development: Extended to mean area of study/expertise in Middle English
📊 Register & Frequency
Frequency: top 1000 words
Spoken: common
Written: common
Academic: very common
Business: common
Formality: neutral
🔗 Semantic Relations
Synonyms
Near: meadow, pasture, domain, discipline
Contextual: ground, pitch, area
Hypernyms (Broader Terms)
area, land, domain
Hyponyms (Specific Examples)
cornfield, battlefield, playing field, minefield