- 1a piece of land next to or around your house where you can grow flowers, fruit, vegetables, etc., usually with an area of grass (called alawn) see backyard
- 2(abbreviation yd.) a unit for measuring length, equal to 3 feet (36 inches) or 0.9144 of a meter
- 3an area outside a building, usually with a hard surface and a surrounding wall the prison yard The children were playing in the yard at the front of the school. see backyard
- 4(usually in compounds) an area of land used for a special purpose or business a boat yard You will find other compounds ending in yard at their place in the alphabet. Thesaurusfactory
- plant
- mill
- works
- yard
- workshop/shop
- foundry
- factory a building or group of buildings where goods are made:a chocolate/cigarette/clothing factory
- plant a factory or place where power is produced or an industrial process takes place:a nuclear power plant a manufacturing plant a bottling plant
- mill a factory that produces a particular type of material:a steel/cotton/paper/textile/woolen mill
- works (often in compounds) a place where things are made or an industrial process takes place:a brickworks a steelworks Raw materials were carried to the works by rail.
- yard (usually in compounds) an area of land used for building something:a shipyard
- workshop/shop a room or building in which things are made or repaired using tools or machinery:a car repair shop a sheet metal workshop
- foundry a factory where metal or glass is melted and made into different shapes or objects:an iron foundry
- a car/chemical/munitions factory/plant
- an engineering plant/(work)shop
- to manage/run a factory/plant/mill/works/yard/workshop/foundry
- to work in/at a factory/plant/mill/yard/workshop/foundry
- factory/mill/foundry owners/managers/workers
- 5(technology) a long piece of wood fastened to a mast that supports a sail on a boat or ship Idioms
everything, or a situation that includes everything When Dan cooks dinner he always goes the whole nine yards, with three courses and a choice of dessert.
Check pronunciation: yard