area

noun

ˈer-ē-ə How to pronounce area (audio)
Definition of areanext
1
as in zone
a part or portion having no fixed boundaries I last saw your dog over in that general area

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in field
a region of activity, knowledge, or influence a top researcher in the area of human genetics

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of area Hobbs' team notes that the Phoenix area is still one of the top spots in the country for new home construction. — Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors say Zhang, who also goes by Heather, spied on a son of Taiwan’s president outside his home in the Seattle area at the behest of Chinese officials. — David Douglas, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026 Sliding doors from the kitchen’s eat-in area access a private patio, which is perfectly located to enjoy the afternoon sun. — James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026 Dislodged cobblestones, shattered storefronts and broken glass littered the area around Paris’ Place de la République on Sunday. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for area
Recent Examples of Synonyms for area
  1. zone
  2. field
  3. region
  4. realm
  5. corner
  6. element
  7. department
  8. domain
Noun
  • Simulations accounting for a 4–6-kilometer-wide grounding zone suggest a 60-percent probability that the glacier will become unpinned from the Mouginot Ridge by the end of the century.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Located just 48 light-years from Earth, this white dwarf has a deep convection zone that carries carbon from its core to its surface.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of zone
Noun
  • These industry changes come at an uncertain time as artificial intelligence encroaches on the creative field and consumers are turning to social media platforms for music consumption and discovery.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Just a week after earning C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week honors by converting all five field-goal attempts, kicker Robert Czeremcha missed twice, including a potential game-tying kick at the end of regulation.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of field
Noun
  • In these places, led by regions like Sudan, Gaza, and South Sudan, children are three times more likely to die before their fifth birthday and 10 times more likely to grow up in extreme poverty than children born elsewhere.
    — David Miliband, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In the town of Chhatak, also in the Sylhet region, the daughter of 30-year-old carpenter Humayun Rashid died unvaccinated in June aged nine months.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of region
Noun
  • Fielder started in the realm of absurdist comedy, and with the Holmes project moves into a world of watercooler high crimes and compelling fourth-wall breaking.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
  • These bog bodies tell stories of a time when humans were sacrificed to the gods in bogs, as otherworldly margins between the human and divine realms, or when social outcasts met a cruel, violent end for failing to conform to societal standards.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of realm
Noun
  • The Tkachuks won the puck along the right wing boards and Brady got control in the corner.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Even with the rain, the sunroom-like den remained my favorite corner of the house to read, sip on coffee, or take a moment to myself before breakfast.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of corner
Noun
  • In Blue Level and Desert Moon (both 1955), with their solid areas of blues and reds, respectively, Krasner constructed a vertical world that stood straight and sturdy, raw elements reaching beyond the painting’s top and bottom edges.
    — John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The situation is similar to plumbing fixtures located within a unit, which are a unit owner’s responsibility even though the building’s common element plumbing system brings water to all units.
    — Howard Dakoff, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of element
Noun
  • In January 2025, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch changed the department pursuit policy, barring cops from chasing after vehicles fleeing car stops unless a felony crime or a violent misdemeanor was committed.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The high amount of overtime at the mental health department is related mainly to nurses working at the state’s mental health hospitals, Whiting and Connecticut Valley Hospital, which are both in Middletown.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of department
Noun
  • Modernizing the backbone of missile warning According to Raytheon’s announcement, the upgrades are intended to strengthen space domain awareness and support a more resilient, layered security architecture.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The contest of networks will be nearly global, waged in multiple domains, with huge stakes riding on the outcome.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of domain

Browse Nearby Words

arduously
area
areas
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Area.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/area. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on area

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about area

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All