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yard

1 American  
[yahrd] / yɑrd /

noun

  1. a common unit of linear measure in English-speaking countries, equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, and equivalent to 0.9144 meter.

  2. Nautical. a long spar, supported more or less at its center, to which the head of a square sail, lateen sail, or lugsail is bent.

  3. yard-of-ale.

  4. Informal. a large quantity or extent.

  5. Slang. one hundred or, usually, one thousand dollars.

idioms

  1. the whole nine yards,

    1. everything that is pertinent, appropriate, or available.

    2. in all ways; in every respect; all the way.

      If you want to run for mayor, I'll be with you the whole nine yards.
yard 2 American  
[yahrd] / yɑrd /

noun

  1. the ground that immediately adjoins or surrounds a house, public building, or other structure.

  2. an enclosed area outdoors, often paved and surrounded by or adjacent to a building; court.

  3. ballpark.

    It’s been a long road trip for the Mariners, and they’ll be glad to get back to their own yard on Tuesday.

  4. an outdoor enclosure designed for the exercise of students, inmates, etc..

    a prison yard.

  5. an outdoor space surrounded by a group of buildings, as on a college campus.

  6. a pen or other enclosure for livestock.

  7. an enclosure within which any work or business is carried on (often used in combination).

    navy yard; a brickyard.

  8. an outside area used for storage, assembly, or the like.

  9. Railroads. a system of parallel tracks, crossovers, switches, etc., where cars are switched and made up into trains and where cars, locomotives, and other rolling stock are kept when not in use or when awaiting repairs.

  10. a piece of ground set aside for cultivation; garden; field.

  11. the winter pasture or browsing ground of moose and deer.

  12. British. the Yard, Scotland Yard.

verb (used with object)

  1. to put into, enclose, or store in a yard.

idioms

  1. go yard, to hit a home run.

    It looks as if he may go yard with this one—and he does, just inches from the foul pole!
Yard 1 British  
/ jɑːd /

noun

  1. informal short for Scotland Yard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
yard 2 British  
/ jɑːd /

noun

  1.  yd.  a unit of length equal to 3 feet and defined in 1963 as exactly 0.9144 metre

  2. a cylindrical wooden or hollow metal spar, tapered at the ends, slung from a mast of a square-rigged or lateen-rigged vessel and used for suspending a sail

  3. short for yardstick

  4. informal to make a great effort to achieve an end

  5. informal everything that is required; the whole thing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
yard 3 British  
/ jɑːd /

noun

  1. a piece of enclosed ground, usually either paved or laid with concrete and often adjoining or surrounded by a building or buildings

    1. an enclosed or open area used for some commercial activity, for storage, etc

      a railway yard

    2. ( in combination )

      a brickyard

      a shipyard

  3. a US and Canadian word for garden

  4. an area having a network of railway tracks and sidings, used for storing rolling stock, making up trains, etc

  5. the winter pasture of deer, moose, and similar animals

  6. an enclosed area used to draw off part of a herd, etc

  7. short for saleyard stockyard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to draft (animals), esp to a saleyard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
yard Scientific  
/ yärd /

  1. A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 3 feet or 36 inches (0.91 meter).

  2. See Table at measurement

yard More Idioms  

  1. see all wool and a yard wide; in one's own back yard; whole nine yards.

Etymology

Origin of yard1

First recorded before 950; Middle English yerd(e), yard(e) “stick, pole, rod,” Old English gird, gierd, gerd “bough, staff, rod”; cognate with Dutch gard, German Gerte “rod, twig”

Origin of yard2

First recorded before 900; Middle English yerd(e), yard(e), Old English geard “enclosure”; cognate with Dutch gaard “garden,” Old Norse garthr “yard,” Gothic gards “house,” Latin hortus “garden,” Greek chórtos “enclosure, court,” Old Irish gort “field,” Slavic (Polish) gród “castle, town”; akin to garden, garth ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With 14 minutes to play, York took the chance to move more than a score ahead and Richardson slotted a simple drop-goal from 25 yards out.

From BBC

But the overhead deck itself would have to be tall to accommodate the yard’s electrical wiring.

From The Wall Street Journal

Believing Leah was overcome by the spirits, her hostess took her out into the yard for some fresh air.

From Literature

Field goals longer than 60 yards will be worth four points instead of three.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investigators had been granted a search warrant to look in the vehicle Sept. 8 after a tow yard worker noticed a rotting smell emanating from the vehicle.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.