area

UK: /ˈɛəriə/ US: /ˈɛriə/ ,(âr′ē ə)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ar•e•a /ˈɛriə/   n. [countable] , pl. -as. 

1. a part of a space or a surface:
   the dark areas in the painting.
2. a place or part of the world;
   geographical region:
   the downtown area.
3. a section reserved for a specific function:
   the dining area.
4. a particular subject of study or knowledge;
   field:
   new areas of interest.
5. a measurement of a surface, equal to the length multiplied by the width.

ar•e•al, adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ar•e•a  (âr′ē ə), n. 

1. any particular extent of space or surface;
   part:
   the dark areas in the painting; the dusty area of the room.
2. a geographical region;
   tract:
   the Chicago area; the unsettled areas along the frontier.
3. any section reserved for a specific function:
   the business area of a town; the dining area of a house.
4. extent, range, or scope:
   inquiries that embrace the whole area of science.
5. field of study, or a branch of a field of study:
   Related areas of inquiry often reflect borrowed notions.
6. a piece of unoccupied ground;
   an open space.
7. the space or site on which a building stands;
   the yard attached to or surrounding a house.
8. British Terms areaway (def. 1).
9. Mathematics the quantitative measure of a plane or curved surface;
   two-dimensional extent.
10. Anatomy a zone of the cerebral cortex having a specific function:
    The damage to Broca's area affected his speech.

• Latin ārea vacant piece of level ground, open space in a town, threshing floor; perh. akin to ārēre to be dry. See arid
• 1530–40

ar′e•al, adj. 
ar′e•al•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

area / ˈɛərɪə/ noun

1. any flat, curved, or irregular expanse of a surface
2. the extent of a two-dimensional surface enclosed within a specified boundary or geometric figure: the area of Ireland, the area of a triangle
3. the two-dimensional extent of the surface of a solid, or of some part thereof, esp one bounded by a closed curve: the area of a sphere
4. a section, portion, or part
5. region; district; locality
6. a geographical division of administrative responsibility
7. (as modifier): area manager
8. a part or section, as of a building, town, etc, having some specified function or characteristic: reception area, commercial area, slum area
9. Also called: areaway a sunken area, usually enclosed, giving light, air, and sometimes access to a cellar or basement
10. the range, extent, or scope of anything
11. a subject field or field of study

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin: level ground, open space, threshing-floor; related to ārēre to be dry

ˈareal adjective