yardEnglishOxford American Thesaurusyard noun 1 they kicked a soccer ball around the yard: backyard, garden; courtyard, court, quadrangle, enclosure, cloister, close; informal quad. 2 we took over the management of a boatbuilding yard: workshop, works, factory, garage, plant, foundry, mill, industrial unit, business unit; shipyard; archaic manufactory.