area

area — noun

1. a section of a town, country, or piece of land that you can think of as one plac

1.nounB1
Definition

a section of a town, country, or piece of land that you can think of as one place because of where it is or what it is like.

Example

Sami grew up in a quiet rural area outside of Kyoto.

rural / urban / residential area collocations

Heavy rain has flooded several areas in the south of England.

areas + in/of [place]

Common collocations
  • rural area
  • urban area
  • residential area
  • remote area
  • the surrounding area
Synonyms
  • region

    larger and more formal than 'area'; often used for parts of a country

  • district

    an officially named part of a city or country

  • neighborhood

    a smaller residential part of a town where people live

Grammar Patterns

the [adjective] area

an area of [country/city]

Usage Note

Often modified by an adjective describing the type of place: 'rural / urban / industrial / residential / coastal area'. Distinguish from sense 3 (a spot on a surface) — sense 1 always refers to a chunk of geography.

Common Mistakes

I live in the area of Taipei.
I live in the Taipei area.
when naming the city, put the place name before 'area'.

2. the part of a place that is close to where you are or where someone lives, used

2.nounB1
Definition

the part of a place that is close to where you are or where someone lives, used when talking about nearby shops, people, or events.

Example

Are there any good Thai restaurants in the area?

in the area = nearby

We were in your area last weekend, so we dropped by for tea.

in your area

Common collocations
  • in the area
  • in your area
  • around the area
Synonyms
  • neighborhood

    more often used for the streets right around your home

  • vicinity

    more formal; common in news and notices

Grammar Patterns

in the area

in your/our/their area

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'in the area' or 'in [possessive] area'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 is relative to the speaker's location, while sense 1 names a specific region.

Common Mistakes

Are there shops at the area?
Are there shops in the area?
use 'in', not 'at', for this meaning.

3. a specific part of a room, building, body, or thing that is set aside or noticed

3.nounB1
Definition

a specific part of a room, building, body, or thing that is set aside or noticed for a particular reason, such as a play area, a sore area on your back, or the work area of a desk.

Example

Children must stay inside the play area while their parents shop.

play / dining / smoking area

The doctor pressed gently on the painful area below my ribs.

painful / sore area on the body

Common collocations
  • play area
  • waiting area
  • dining area
  • reception area
  • the affected area
Synonyms
  • section

    suggests a clearly divided part, often labelled or numbered

  • spot

    informal; usually a smaller, more pinpoint location

  • zone

    more formal; often used for officially marked spaces

Grammar Patterns

a [adjective] area of [the room/body/object]

Usage Note

Usually modified by an adjective or noun that names the function or feature: 'reception area, dining area, sore area, dark area'. Distinguish from sense 1 (geographic) — sense 3 sits inside a building, on a body, or on an object.

Common Mistakes

Please wait in the waiting place.
Please wait in the waiting area.
for a part of a room set aside for a purpose, English uses 'area', not 'place'.

4. a particular subject, type of work, or part of someone's life that a person stud

4.nounB2
Definition

a particular subject, type of work, or part of someone's life that a person studies, works in, or is responsible for.

Example

Dr. Rashida's main area of research is climate change in coastal cities.

area of research / study / expertise

Marketing is not really my area, so please ask Yael.

[noun] is not my area

Common collocations
  • area of expertise
  • area of research
  • area of interest
  • key area
  • problem area
Synonyms
  • field

    very close in meaning; slightly more formal, common in academic contexts

  • domain

    formal; suggests a clearly defined zone of knowledge or control

  • subject

    narrower — usually a school or university topic

Grammar Patterns

area of [noun]

an area of expertise / interest / research

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'of + noun' (area of expertise, area of concern) or 'where + clause' (areas where we can improve). Use sense 4 — not sense 1 — for non-physical things like subjects, jobs, or skills.

Common Mistakes

Music is not my area place.
Music is not my area.
'area' alone is enough; do not add 'place' or 'field' after it.

5. how much flat space a shape, room, or section of ground takes up, worked out fro

5.nounB2
Definition

how much flat space a shape, room, or section of ground takes up, worked out from how long and how wide it is, and stated in units like square metres or square kilometres.

Example

The students learned how to find the area of a triangle in math class today.

find / calculate the area of [shape]

Our garden has an area of about forty square metres.

an area of X square metres

Common collocations
  • calculate the area
  • surface area
  • total area
  • square metres in area
Synonyms
  • size

    more general; can mean overall bigness, not just flat surface

  • extent

    formal; how far something stretches across

Grammar Patterns

the area of [shape]

[number] square metres in area

Usage Note

Common patterns: 'the area of [shape]', 'an area of [number] square metres', or '[country] is X square kilometres in area'. Distinguish from sense 1 (a place) — sense 5 is a measurement, almost always paired with numbers and units.

Common Mistakes

The area of this room is 20 metres.
The area of this room is 20 square metres.
area is measured in SQUARE units, not plain metres.

6. in football (soccer), the rectangular zone marked on the pitch right in front of

6.noun
Definition

in football (soccer), the rectangular zone marked on the pitch right in front of each goal, where a foul by the defending team gives the other side a penalty kick.

Example

The defender pulled the striker's shirt inside the area, and the referee gave a penalty.

inside / in the area = penalty box

Sven shot from just outside the area and hit the crossbar.

outside the area

Common collocations
  • inside the area
  • outside the area
  • edge of the area
Synonyms
  • penalty area

    the full, formal name

  • box

    another short, informal name used by fans and commentators

Grammar Patterns

in / inside / outside the area

Usage Note

A short form of 'penalty area', used in football commentary and conversation. Almost always with 'the' and a preposition: 'in / inside / outside / around the area'. Not used for other sports.

Common Mistakes

He scored from the area of penalty.
He scored from inside the (penalty) area.
the noun stays as 'area'; 'penalty' goes before it, not after.

Word family

  • areal
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name a part of a place, but they differ in scale, formality, and how the boundaries are drawn. 'Area' is the most flexible everyday word and works for almost any size, from a few streets to a whole part of a country. 'Region' is larger and more formal, often a big chunk of a country defined by climate, culture, or geography (the Tohoku region). 'District' suggests an officially named division — a school district, a postal district. 'Zone' implies clearly marked boundaries set up for a purpose (a no-parking zone, a war zone). 'Neighborhood' is the smallest and most personal: the streets right around where you live. Compare: 'I live in the Shibuya area' (everyday), 'the Kanto region' (formal/geographic), 'a quiet neighborhood with friendly people' (close to home).

area ↗region ↗district ↗zone ↗neighborhood ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • area code
  • area manager
  • area of expertise
  • surface area
  • play area
  • rural area
  • urban area

Phrases

  • in this area
  • in the surrounding area
  • a wide area
  • a large area of [something]

Prepositions

  • in the area
  • around the area
  • across the area
  • throughout the area

Etymology

LatinEnglish

'Area' came into English in the late 1500s from Latin 'area', which meant a level open piece of ground, like a yard or a threshing floor. From there it grew to mean any flat surface, then the size of a flat surface, and finally any part of a place set aside for something. The mathematical sense (length × width) was already common in Latin and stayed with the word as it moved into English science.