park

I. park¹ S1 W2 /pɑːk $ pɑːrk/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: parc, from Medieval Latin parricus]
1. a large open area with grass and trees, especially in a town, where people can walk, play games etc:
Let’s go for a walk in the park.
a park bench
a flat overlooking Hyde Park
2. a large area of land in the country which has been kept in its natural state to protect the plants and animals there
national/state/county park
the Lake District National Park
3. British English a large enclosed area of land, with grass and trees, around a big house in the countryside
4. the park British English informal the field where a game of football or ↑rugby is played SYN the pitch:
He was easily the best player on the park.
5. American English informal the field where a game of baseball is played
⇨ ↑amusement park, ↑ball park(1), ↑car park, ↑national park, ↑safari park, ↑science park, ↑theme park, ↑trailer park
• • •
THESAURUS
■ places where people do sport
▪ field (also pitch British English) a large area of ground, usually covered with grass, where team sports are played: A few kids were playing on the football field. | a hockey field
▪ stadium a large sports field with seats all around it for people to watch team sports or track and field competitions: The atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium was amazing. | a football stadium
▪ ground British English a sports field and the seats and buildings around it, belonging to a particular football, rugby, or cricket team: I met my friends inside the ground.
▪ ballpark/park American English a stadium where baseball is played: Busch Stadium is one of the newest ballparks in Major League.
▪ court an area with lines painted on the ground, for tennis, badminton, basketball, or volleyball: The hotel has four tennis courts and a volleyball court.
▪ diamond the area in a baseball field that is within the shape formed by the four bases. The diamond can also be the whole field: The pitcher stands in the middle of the diamond. | There’s a playground, a picnic area, and a baseball diamond.
▪ track a circular path with lines on it, for running on: In the relay, each runner runs once around the track.
▪ gym a room with machines which you can use to do exercises: He spends an hour in the gym every day.
▪ pool/swimming pool a place where you can swim: He jumped into the deep end of the pool. | I’ll meet you outside the swimming pool.
▪ sports centre British English, sports center American English a building where you can play many types of indoor sports: Why not do exercise classes at your local sports centre?
▪ health club a small sports centre, where you pay to be a member: How much does it cost to join a health club?

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

park

park [park parks parked parking] noun, verb [pɑːk] [pɑːrk]

noun
1. countable an area of public land in a town or a city where people go to walk, play and relax
• Hyde Park
• We went for a walk in the park.

• a park bench

2. countable (in compounds) an area of land used for a particular purpose
• a business/science park
• a wildlife park

see also amusement park, car park, national park, retail park, safari park, theme park

3. countable (in Britain) an area of land, usually with fields and trees, attached to a large country house

4. countable (NAmE) a piece of land for playing sports, especially baseball

see also ballpark

5. the park singular (BrE) a football ( soccer ) or rugby field
• the fastest man on the park
see a walk in the park at walk _n.
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French parc, from medieval Latin parricus, of Germanic origin; related to German Pferch ‘pen, fold’, also to paddock. The word was originally a legal term designating land held by royal permission for keeping game animals: this was enclosed and therefore distinct from a forest or chase, and (also unlike a forest) had no special laws or officers. A military sense ‘space occupied by artillery, wagons, stores, etc., in an encampment’ (late 17th cent.) is the origin of the verb sense (mid 19th cent.) and of sense 2 (early 20th cent.).
Culture:
parks
British towns and cities have at least one municipal park, where people go to relax, lie in the sun, have picnics, walk their dogs and play games. Most US city and town governments also provide parks. They are open to anybody free of charge. The most famous parks in Britain include Hyde Park and Regent's Park in London. In the US, New York’s Central Park is the best known. Open-air events, such as plays and concerts, are sometimes held in these parks.
Most British parks were created in the 19th century, when more people moved into the towns. Some still have a rather old-fashioned, formal atmosphere, with paths to walk on, seats or benches, tidy lawns, flower beds and trees. There are sometimes signs that say: ‘Keep off the grass’. A few parks have a bandstand, a raised platform on which brass bands play occasionally during the summer. Most parks are protected by iron railings and gates which are locked by the park keeper each evening.
Many parks have a children’s playground with swings and roundabouts. Larger parks have a sports field, tennis courts and sometimes a boating lake. In the US softball diamonds are marked on the grass and in Britain there are goalposts for football. Large parks may have picnic benches and, in the US, barbecues. In the US it is usually illegal to drink alcohol in a park.
In Britain there are country parks, large areas of grass and woodland, where people can go for long walks. Some charge an admission fee. Many have nature trails where people can see interesting plants, birds or animals. National parks, such as Snowdonia in Wales, are areas of great beauty protected by the government. In the US there are both state parks and national parks. Many provide a safe place for wild animals to live.
Thesaurus:
park noun C
• They went for a walk in the park.
gardens • • playground • |especially AmE garden •
at/in the park/gardens/playground/garden
visit the park/gardens/garden
Example Bank:
• I work as a ranger in the city's park system.
• She works for the parks department.
• The lion was shot dead by a park ranger.
• The mountain has been designated as a national park.
• They go to the park most Sunday afternoons.
• They went for a walk in the park.
• We met at Hyde Park.
• We met in Central Park.
• a beautifully landscaped park
• a cafe overlooking the park
• a park managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation
• an indoor park for skateboarders
• the national parks system
• The Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in Hyde Park.
• The cottage is set within the park of a country house.
• The houses and parks in Georgian Sussex represented leisured society at its peak.
• With a mighty swing he hit the ball right out of the park.