yard

noun

1. A small, usually uncultivated area adjoining or (now especially) within the precincts of a house or other building.

   “'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.”

2. (Australia, Canada, US)The property surrounding one's house, typically dominated by one's lawn.
3. An enclosed outdoors area designated for a specific purpose, e.g. on farms, railways etc.

   “A little further on, to the right, was a large garage, where the charabancs stood, half in and half out of the yard.”

   “Pilton Yard, the Lynton & Barnstaple headquarters, has been taken over by a fur trading firm, and would-be trespassers to the old engine-shed are turned back by the pungent odour of heaps of carcases.”

4. A place where moose or deer herd together in winter for pasture, protection, etc.
5. (Jamaica, Multicultural-London-English)One’s house or home.

   “Man’s devilish cunt, tell me nutting about friends, that’s dead Cuz I run up in yards, No vest, tryna ching man’s chest And leave him dead”

6. A unit of length equal to 3 feet in the US customary and British imperial systems of measurement, equal to precisely 0.9144 m since 1959 (US) or 1963 (UK).

   “Thinks I to myself, “Sol, you're run off your course again. This is a rich man's summer ‘cottage’[…].” So I started to back away again into the bushes. But I hadn't backed more'n a couple of yards when I see something so amazing that I couldn't help scooching down behind the bayberries and looking at it.”

7. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal)A unit of length equal to 3 feet in the US customary and British imperial systems of measurement, equal to precisely 0.9144 m since 1959 (US) or 1963 (UK).
8. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal)A unit of length equal to 3 feet in the US customary and British imperial systems of measurement, equal to precisely 0.9144 m since 1959 (US) or 1963 (UK).
9. Units of similar composition or length in other systems.
10. Any spar carried aloft.
11. Any spar carried aloft.
12. (obsolete)A branch, twig, or shoot.
13. (obsolete)A staff, rod, or stick.
14. (obsolete)A penis.

    “Loues her by the foot. Dum. He may not by the yard.”

    “there were some people found who tooke pleasure to unhood the end of their yard, and to cut off the fore-skinne after the manner of the Mahometans and Jewes[…].”

    “[T]he testicles are quite exposed, but they wrap a piece of cloth or leafe round the yard which they tye up to the belly to a cord or bandage which they wear round the waist just under the short ribbs and over the belly and so tight that it was a wonder to us how they could endure it.”

15. (US, slang, uncommon)100 dollars.
16. (obsolete)The yardland, an obsolete English unit of land roughly understood as 30 acres.

    “You must note, that two Fardells of Land make a Nooke of Land, and two Nookes make halfe a Yard of Land.”

17. (obsolete)The rod, a surveying unit of (once) 15 or (now) 16+¹⁄₂ feet.
18. (obsolete)The rood, area bound by a square rod, ¹⁄₄ acre.
19. A tall, slender, hollow receptacle or tool.
20. 10⁹, A short scale billion; a long scale thousand millions or milliard.

    “I need to hedge a yard of yen.”

21. (slang)One hundred, usually referring to currency or money's worth.

    “How much coke you want? Gimme a yard.”

verb

1. (transitive)To confine to a yard.

   “As they reached the door, Bose, having yarded the cows, was stealing around the corner of the pig-sty, and making for the woods.”

   “The sheep were straggling in a manner that meant walking work to round them, and he supposed he would have to yard them tonight, if she didn't liven up.”

2. (humorous, intransitive)To move a yard at a time, as opposed to inching along.

   “He inched his way up the corridor as if he would rather be yarding his way down it, which was true.”

name

1. Scotland Yard or New Scotland Yard

   “'Suppose we walk across to Scotland Yard, and you can tell me on the way.' At the corner of Derby Street they encountered two men who had just turned out of the Yard.”

2. (figuratively, metonymically)The Metropolitan Police Service
3. (Jamaica)Jamaica