yard
gb/jˈɑɹd/ us/jˈɑɹd/
A1
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Open outdoor area near a house
An open space with grass or ground next to a house or building.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s yard
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'yard' with 'garden' in American English; in the US, 'garden' usually means an area for growing plants, while 'yard' is the whole outdoor space.
Synonyms
garden (In British English, 'garden' often means the outdoor space around a house; in American English, 'yard' is more common for this meaning.)
Antonyms
indoors (Refers to being inside a building, opposite of the outdoor space of a yard.)
Collocations
front yard
|back yard
|yard work
|yard sale
|yard fence
Themes
daily life
|home
|outdoors
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- The kids are playing soccer in the back yard.
- We planted flowers all around the front yard.
- He built a wooden fence around his yard.
- They had a barbecue in the yard last weekend.
- The dog likes to run around the yard.
Learner examples
- The children play in the yard.
- I have a tree in my yard.
- We eat lunch in the yard.
- The dog runs in the yard.
Noun
A2
quantity
2
Unit of length equal to 3 feet
A measure of length equal to 3 feet or about 91 centimeters.
Common mistake:
Some learners confuse 'yard' as a measure with 'yard' as outdoor space; context usually makes the meaning clear.
Synonyms
meter (A metric unit of length; slightly longer than a yard.)
Antonyms
inch (A smaller unit of length; there are 36 inches in a yard.)
Collocations
square yard
|yard stick
|three yards
|yard line
Themes
measurement
|science
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The fabric is sold by the yard.
- He stood about ten yards away from the goal.
- The garden is three yards wide.
- We measured the rope and it was five yards long.
Learner examples
- The table is two yards long.
- I ran ten yards.
- This wall is three yards high.
Noun
B1
entity
3
Enclosed outdoor area for work or storage
An outdoor place with a fence or walls, used for work or storage.
Synonyms
compound (An enclosed area, often larger and sometimes including buildings.)
Antonyms
open field (An unenclosed outdoor space without boundaries or specific use.)
Collocations
railway yard
|lumber yard
|junk yard
|prison yard
Themes
workplace
|transportation
|work
|daily_life
|housing
Examples
- The prisoners exercised in the prison yard.
- We took the car to the salvage yard.
- The train was sitting in the railway yard.
- He works in a lumber yard.
Learner examples
- The workers meet in the yard.
- The train waits in the yard.
- They play basketball in the prison yard.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
4
Horizontal spar on ship's mast for sails
A long pole on a ship's mast that holds a sail.
Synonyms
spar (General term for a pole used on ships; not all spars are yards.)
Collocations
main yard
|top yard
Themes
transportation
|nautical
|travel
Examples
- The sailors lowered the main yard.
- They repaired the rope on the fore yard.
- The sails were tied neatly along the yard.
Learner examples
- The man climbs to the yard.
- The sail hangs from the yard.
- They fix the rope on the yard.
Grammar
Dictionary form
yard
IPA
GB/jˈɑɹd/
US/jˈɑɹd/
Syllables & stress
yard (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (yard)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: yard
- Plural: yards
Word family
Expressions
stick to your own backyard
1/stˈɪk tə jˈʊɹ ˈoʊn bˈækjˌɑɹd/
idiom
informal
Mind your own business or area of concern
To focus on your own work or problems instead of other people’s.
Examples
- You should stick to your own backyard and stop telling me how to run my life.
- Critics told him to stick to his own backyard and not get involved in foreign politics.
three yards and a cloud of dust
1/θɹˈi jˈɑɹdz ˈænd ə klˈaʊd əv dˈʌst/
idiom
informal
Small steady gains with hard work (esp. football)
A way to say that progress is slow but steady, especially in American football when a team gains just a few yards each play.
Examples
- Our project is moving like three yards and a cloud of dust—slow but steady.
- The team kept pushing forward, three yards and a cloud of dust at a time.
yard sale
1/jˈɑɹd sˈeɪl/
fixed phrase
Outdoor sale of household items at home
A sale outside someone's home where they sell things they do not want anymore.
Examples
- We’re having a yard sale this Saturday morning.
- She bought an old lamp at a neighborhood yard sale.