empty field

USAGE SUMMARY

"empty field" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to refer to an area that is nothing more than an open expanse of land or an area in which something is missing. For example, "The football field was an empty field when we arrived for practice."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Behind it is an empty field.

Independent

Trees were gone, leaving an empty field.

The New York Times

Two consecutive occurrences delimit an empty field.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

It was just an empty field.

The New York Times

We stood there staring at the empty field.

The New Yorker

There you were, standing in an empty field,.

The New Yorker

"And see this?" He pointed to an adjacent empty field.

The New Yorker

It was an empty field with a lone gravestone.

The New Yorker

Preserve the 16 acres as an empty field of memory?

The New York Times

We got out of the cab and walked over to an empty field.

The New Yorker

An empty field, under God's eye Want to bet on an election?

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In literary descriptions, pair it with sensory adjectives (e.g., "dusty", "vast", "silent") to create a more vivid atmosphere.

Common error

Avoid using "empty field" to describe a missing value in a database if the field exists but contains no data; in these cases, "null value" or "blank entry" is often more precise. Conversely, do not use "blank field" to describe a physical prairie, as it sounds overly clinical and technical.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "empty field" functions as a noun phrase consisting of the descriptive adjective "empty" and the head noun "field". According to Ludwig AI, it is primarily used to identify a specific area characterized by the absence of content, whether that be physical structures or digital data.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

55%

Wiki

25%

Science

10%

Less common in

Academia

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Formal & Business

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "empty field" is a highly versatile and correct phrase used to describe both physical landscapes and digital placeholders. Ludwig AI demonstrates that it is used extensively by prestigious sources like The New York Times and The New Yorker to describe everything from rural expanses to abandoned urban plots. It also appears frequently in technical documentation and how-to guides to indicate where information is missing or required. Whether you are writing a novel or a user manual, "empty field" is a reliable choice for denoting an unoccupied space.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

vacant lot

Used specifically for an empty plot of land in an urban or residential area.

open field

Suggests a vast expanse of land that is not built upon, often with a more positive or natural connotation.

blank field

Primarily used in digital forms or database contexts where information is missing.

undeveloped land

A more formal or real-estate focused term for land that has no structures.

empty space

A more abstract or general term for any void or unoccupied volume.

unoccupied area

A generic term for any space, indoor or outdoor, that is currently empty.

clearing

An open space specifically within a forest or wooded area.

bare ground

Emphasizes the lack of vegetation or covering on the surface of the land.

fallow field

A specific agricultural term for land left unseeded for a season.

missing field

Used in computer science to indicate a required parameter or data point that was not provided.

FAQs

How to use "empty field" in a sentence?

You can use it to describe physical locations, such as "The children played in an "empty field" behind the school", or technical inputs, like "Please type the name in the "empty field" provided".

What can I say instead of "empty field"?

Depending on the context, you could use "vacant lot" for real estate, "open field" for nature, or "blank field" for forms.

Which is correct, "empty field" or "blank field"?

Both are correct but serve different purposes. Use "empty field" for physical space and "blank field" when referring to a user interface or data entry point.

Is "empty field" common in technical writing?

Yes, it is very common in software documentation. For example, Ludwig often shows examples where users are told to "Enter the password into the "empty field"".