# acre

/ˈeɪkɝ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/acre
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. unit of land

noun · CEFR B2

a unit for measuring an area of land, equal to 4,840 square yards.

For teachers: a unit of land area measurement in the imperial and US customary systems, equivalent to 4,840 square yards or approximately 4,047 square metres.

- The farmer decided to sell ten acres of his land to a developer.
- The estate encompasses over five hundred acres of rolling hills and ancient woodland, making it one of the largest private holdings in the county.

Usage: Countable; often used with numbers to specify the size of a property.

### 2. a large area

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a very large area of land or space.

For teachers: a wide expanse or large area of land, typically used in the plural to emphasize size.

- The new shopping mall has acres of parking space for customers.
- The library was vast, with acres of shelving dedicated to rare manuscripts and historical records.

Usage: Usually plural ('acres of').

### 3. a large quantity

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

a very large amount of something, like paper or information.

For teachers: a figurative large quantity of something, often used to describe written material or physical objects.

- The journalist wrote acres of text about the political scandal.
- The project generated acres of paperwork that the legal team had to review before the trial could begin.

Usage: Usually plural ('acres of').

## Examples

- The farmer owns ten acres of land.
- The new housing development sits on forty acres of former woodland just outside the city limits.
- While modern industrial farms often span thousands of acres, smaller organic operations can remain profitable by maximizing the yield of every individual plot through intensive cultivation techniques.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.