ar·ea 
/ˈerijə/ noun
plural ar·eas /ˈerijə/ noun 1 [count] a : a part or section within a larger place : region
▪ Settlers came to this area from the east. ▪ The group visited the area during a hunting trip. ▪ in the area surrounding the lake ▪ The storm caused damage in many areas along the coast. ▪ a bird found only in remote areas of the U.S. ▪ in many areas of the world ▪ He is the metropolitan area's most popular politician. ▪ urban and rural areas ▪ He lived in an unfashionable area of the city. ▪ a residential area ▪ One of our representatives will be in your area [=neighborhood] next week.
b : a section of space within a building, room, etc.
▪ She set aside a work area in the kitchen. ▪ The dining area has extra windows. ▪ We were asked to wait in the reception area. ▪ The park had several picnic areas. 2 [count] : a part of the surface of something (such as a person's body or a piece of cloth)
▪ Choose a small area of the fabric to test first. ▪ The patient was having pain in the shoulder/abdominal area. = The patient was having pain in the area of the shoulder/abdomen. 3 [count] : a field of activity or study
▪ The discovery has opened up new areas of/for research. ▪ The budget continues to be a major area of concern. ▪ a problem area ▪ the whole area of foreign policy ▪ She wants the government to provide more help in the area of health care. ▪ Your question falls outside my area of expertise. ▪ There are still some areas of disagreement between the two sides. — see also gray area 4 : the amount of space inside a shape, surface, region, room, etc. [count] ▪ The students learned how to calculate the area of a triangle. ▪ a circle with an area of 500 square meters ▪ The park has an area of 2 square miles. [noncount] ▪ a circle that is 500 square meters in area ▪ (chiefly US) The nightclub provided enough area [=room, space] for a dance floor.
▪ Settlers came to this area from the east. ▪ The group visited the area during a hunting trip. ▪ in the area surrounding the lake ▪ The storm caused damage in many areas along the coast. ▪ a bird found only in remote areas of the U.S. ▪ in many areas of the world ▪ He is the metropolitan area's most popular politician. ▪ urban and rural areas ▪ He lived in an unfashionable area of the city. ▪ a residential area ▪ One of our representatives will be in your area [=neighborhood] next week.
b : a section of space within a building, room, etc.
▪ She set aside a work area in the kitchen. ▪ The dining area has extra windows. ▪ We were asked to wait in the reception area. ▪ The park had several picnic areas.
▪ Choose a small area of the fabric to test first. ▪ The patient was having pain in the shoulder/abdominal area. = The patient was having pain in the area of the shoulder/abdomen.
▪ The discovery has opened up new areas of/for research. ▪ The budget continues to be a major area of concern. ▪ a problem area ▪ the whole area of foreign policy ▪ She wants the government to provide more help in the area of health care. ▪ Your question falls outside my area of expertise. ▪ There are still some areas of disagreement between the two sides. — see also gray area
in the area of
: close to (an amount)
▪ The project will cost (somewhere) in the area of $50,000.
▪ The project will cost (somewhere) in the area of $50,000.
