area

Noun

area (plural areas or (archaic) areæ)

1. A measure of the extent of a surface; it is measured in square units.
   • It is about 4.5 million square kilometers in area and holds the world’s third largest collection of ice after Antarctica and Greenland.2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns
2. A particular geographic region.
   • Eggimann used a computer algorithm to analyze data from the open-source geographic database OpenStreetMap and automatically detect areas with the superblock potential. He applied this analysis to 5 km x 5 km areas of the city center in 18 different cities around the world.2022 March 8, Sarah DeWeerdt, “Barcelona-style “superblocks” could make a surprising number of cities greener and less car-centric”, in Anthropocene Magazine, archived from the original on 20 Oct 2022
3. Any particular extent of surface, especially an empty or unused extent.
   • The photo is a little dark in that area.
4. The extent, scope, or range of an object or concept.
   • The plans are a bit vague in that area.
   • Today, a new area of research that similarly aims to mimic a complex biological phenomenon—life itself—is taking off. Synthetic biology, a seductive experimental subfield in the life sciences, seems tantalizingly to promise custom-designed life created in the laboratory.2013 September-October, Rob Dorit, “Making Life from Scratch”, in American Scientist
5. (UK) An open space, below ground level, giving access to the basement of a house, and typically separated from the pavement by railings.
   • A boy seized it, whom she bribed with a shilling to relinquish his prize, which she was taking home, when it escaped from her hand, and fell down the area of a house.1790, Helen Maria Williams, Julia, Routledge, published 2016, page 95
   • This was so favourably received by the milkman and beadle that he would immediately have been pushed into the area if I had not held his pinafore while Richard and Mr. Guppy ran down through the kitchen to catch him when he should be released.1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter 4, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC
6. Penalty box; penalty area.
   • Bendtner's goal-bound shot was well saved by goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi but fell to Arsahvin on the edge of the area and the Russian swivelled, shaped his body and angled a sumptuous volley into the corner.2010 December 29, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2-2 Arsenal”, in BBC
7. (slang) Genitals.
   • But what do I do when the third one runs at me with his bike helmet on? I got no more hands to protect my area!2003 October 2, “The One Where Ross Is Fine”, in Friends, season 10, episode 2, spoken by Frank Buffay Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), via NBC