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open field

open field

15 1.2
A large area of land without buildings or trees used for play
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊpən fiːld/
translation icon : campo abierto
  • We set up our picnic in an open field surrounded by rolling hills.
  • a wide-open field

You're in a beautiful open field.

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Examples

  • Jeff starts across an open field toward the town, first jogging, then running.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Is there any way to get to that truck without marching across that open field?

  • A man on a chair in an open field was having his hair cut.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • At the end of the open field was a corn garden.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Maybe pitch a tent out here in this open field.

  • You will find that you are now very near the open field... that serves as a perimeter to your base.

  • Many Russian soldiers had to sleep in open fields, wrapped only in their great coats.

  • Ahead lay nothing but open fields, huge, blank, empty countryside, and forest beyond.

    Academic text (2002)
  • There's an open field over that ridge.

  • Five hunters walk through an open field in the lush, rolling pine-covered hills north of Montgomery.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

field
vsopen field
742 1.0

An area of open land used for farming or grazing

is focused on being free of buildings, trees, or other barriers
plain
vsopen field
98 1.0

A large flat area of land with few trees

is usually smaller and defined by absence of barriers rather than size
common
vsopen field
  • UK
56 3.2

An open grassy area near houses where people meet or play

is any unobstructed land regardless of public use or ownership
vacant lot
vsopen field
  • US
19 2.8

An empty piece of land in a town without buildings

includes rural or urban land free of barriers, not just empty parcels
open
vsopen field
18 1.0

An outdoor area with no cover

is specifically about land areas lacking trees or buildings
open air
vsopen field
8 1.0

Outside in a place that is not covered

refers more narrowly to land areas specifically without trees or buildings
athletic field
vsopen field
3 2.1

An area of land people prepare and keep for playing sports like soccer or track

is general unobstructed land not prepared for sporting use
clearing
vsopen field
2 2.8

An open area in a forest with few trees

is not limited to woodland openings and covers any unobstructed land
landing field
vsopen field
  • Specialized
2 3.7

A flat open place where small planes arrive and take off

is ordinary unobstructed land not designed for aircraft operations
flying field
vsopen field
  • US
3.7

An area of land where small planes take off and land

is general land defined only by lack of buildings or trees

Antonyms

An area surrounded by walls or barriers

How Open

plain
98 1.0
open field
15 1.2
meadow
85 1.0
clearing
2 2.8
yard
651 1.0
garden
740 1.0

Surface Forms

open field singular
open fields plural

Morphology

open + field

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'open' (unobstructed) with 'field' (a plot of land), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer an unobstructed area of land. This adjective+noun pattern is a basic, cross-linguistically common construction and thus highly transparent.

Etymology

Open field comes from the simple image of a wide field that is open, with nothing blocking it — no trees, buildings, or fences. That's why open field today means 'an area of land with no buildings or trees'.