park
A2Neutral
Definition
Meaning
A large public green space in a town or city, designed for recreation.
A designated area of land set aside for a specific purpose (e.g., business park, car park), or to leave a vehicle temporarily.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Serves as both noun (location) and verb (action). The verb's meaning ('to leave a vehicle') is derived from its use in the context of 'car park'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
UK 'car park' vs US 'parking lot' for noun. Verb usage is identical.
Connotations
In UK, 'the park' often specifically refers to large urban parks like Hyde Park. In US, can refer to any size, including national parks.
Frequency
Both noun and verb are high frequency in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
SVO: He parked the car.SVOA: She parked illegally.SV: Can we park here?Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A walk in the park (something very easy)”
- “Park that thought (put an idea aside for later)”
- “Park the bus (soccer: ultra-defensive play)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
In a business park for meetings.
Academic
Studying urban planning and park design.
Everyday
Meeting friends or walking the dog in the park.
Technical
In engineering: 'park a hard disk drive's read/write head'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- You can't park on double yellow lines.
- I'll just park round the corner.
American English
- You can't park in a handicap spot without a permit.
- Let's park out front and walk.
adverb
British English
- N/A
American English
- N/A
adjective
British English
- Park furniture must be durable.
- The park warden was very helpful.
American English
- Park rangers patrol the national forest.
- We need more park benches here.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The children play in the park.
- Where did you park your bike?
- The city council is planning to renovate the old park.
- She parked the van carefully between two lorries.
- The new business park has attracted several tech startups.
- He's notorious for parking his opinions until he knows the room's consensus.
- The degradation of urban parkland is a key indicator of societal neglect.
- The spacecraft successfully parked itself in a geosynchronous orbit.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
PARK: Public Area for Rest & Kinship. Imagine a sign with this acronym at a city entrance.
Conceptual Metaphor
A PARK IS A CONTAINER (for leisure, nature, community). TO PARK IS TO PLACE IN A STABLE POSITION.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate 'car park' as 'автопарк' (fleet of vehicles). Use 'автостоянка'.
- 'Park the car' is not 'парковать машину' but 'припарковать машину' (perfective aspect).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'I park my car every day here.' Correct: 'I park my car here every day.' (Adverb placement)
- Incorrect: 'Let's go to *the* Central Park.' Correct: 'Let's go to Central Park.' (No definite article with proper name parks)
Practice
Quiz
What is the American English equivalent of the British 'car park'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a regular verb: park - parked - parked.
Yes, informally. You can 'park' an idea (save it for later), or a child (place them somewhere temporarily).
A park is usually larger, public, and more natural. A garden is typically smaller, private or attached to a house, and cultivated.
It originates from the Old French 'parc', meaning an enclosed piece of land, often for hunting, which later evolved into its modern recreational meaning.
Collections
Part of a collection
Places in the City
A1 · 50 words · Common buildings and places found in towns and cities.