Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

yard1

Pronunciation: /jɑːd/
Translate yard | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of yard

noun

  • 1 (abbreviation: yd) a unit of linear measure equal to 3 feet (0.9144 metre): a full skirt that took twenty yards of cloth
  • (yards of) informal a great length of something:yards and yards of fine lace
  • a square or cubic yard, especially of sand or other building materials.
  • 2a cylindrical spar, tapering to each end, slung across a ship’s mast for a sail to hang from.
  • 3US informal one hundred dollars; a one-hundred-dollar note: it cost two hundred up front—one yard for Maurice, one for the girl

Phrases

by the yard

in large numbers or quantities:golf continues to inspire books by the yard

Origin:

Old English gerd (in 1sense 2), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch gard 'twig, rod' and German Gerte

yard in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of yard in the US English dictionary
  |  Cite
Oxford Dictionaries Pro

For Oxford's best resources for writers, plus thesaurus, audio, and 1.9m examples.

Shop for an Oxford dictionary

Find the perfect Oxford dictionary for you in our online shop.
SHOP NOW ►

Word of the day

monocular

/ məˈnɒkjʊlə /
adjective , noun
with, for, or in one eye …