collective farm: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Historical, Political, Academic
Quick answer
What does “collective farm” mean?
A farm owned and run by the state or a group of workers, where all property and production are shared.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A farm owned and run by the state or a group of workers, where all property and production are shared.
Historically, a farm operated under a system of collective ownership, most associated with former communist states (e.g., the USSR, China). Production quotas were set by the state, and workers were paid from the collective's profits.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term refers to the same historical concept.
Connotations
Equally strong historical/political connotations in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally low and specialised in modern usage; primarily found in historical or political contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “collective farm” in a Sentence
[verb] + a collective farm (e.g., establish, join, work on, leave)collective farm + [verb] (e.g., produced, failed, operated)[adjective] + collective farm (e.g., Soviet, large, inefficient)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “collective farm” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The land was collectivised to form a new collective farm.
- Peasants were forced to collective farm their holdings.
American English
- The government moved to collective farm the region's agriculture.
- They were required to collective farm their land under the new policy.
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial form. Concept expressed as 'collectively' or 'as a collective farm'.]
American English
- [No standard adverbial form. Concept expressed as 'collectively' or 'as a collective farm'.]
adjective
British English
- The collective-farm system was introduced in the 1930s.
- He studied collective-farm management techniques.
American English
- Collective-farm workers often faced difficult conditions.
- The collective-farm model was central to their agricultural plan.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used. Might appear in historical case studies on agricultural economics or comparisons with modern cooperatives.
Academic
Common in history, political science, and economics texts discussing 20th-century communist systems, collectivisation, and agricultural policy.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Might be used when discussing family history in post-Soviet states or in historical documentaries.
Technical
Used as a specific term in agrarian studies and political history to denote a particular model of agricultural production.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “collective farm”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “collective farm”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “collective farm”
- Using 'collective farm' to describe modern worker-owned cooperatives (which have a different connotation).
- Confusing 'collective farm' (kolkhoz) with 'state farm' (sovkhoz), where workers were state employees.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. While both involve shared ownership, a 'collective farm' specifically refers to the state-mandated, often compulsory system in communist countries. A 'cooperative farm' is typically a voluntary association of farmers in market economies.
In their original Soviet-style form, they largely do not. After the collapse of the USSR, most were dissolved or transformed into private enterprises or different types of agricultural cooperatives. The term is now primarily historical.
A kolkhoz (collective farm) was nominally owned by its member-workers, who shared profits. A sovkhoz (state farm) was owned and operated directly by the state, and workers received a regular wage like state employees.
It is associated with forced collectivisation, loss of private property, state control, and agricultural failures that led to famines (e.g., the Holodomor in Ukraine). In Western discourse, it symbolises the inefficiencies of central planning.
A farm owned and run by the state or a group of workers, where all property and production are shared.
Collective farm is usually historical, political, academic in register.
Collective farm: in British English it is pronounced /kəˌlektɪv ˈfɑːm/, and in American English it is pronounced /kəˌlektɪv ˈfɑːrm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No common idioms directly from this term. Concept appears in phrases like 'collective farm mentality' implying lack of individual initiative.]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think COLLECTIVE = collected together + FARM. A farm where people and resources were collected together under state control.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE STATE IS A FARMER (managing the people/land as a single entity for collective output).
Practice
Quiz
Which term is a direct Russian equivalent of 'collective farm'?