ranch

1 of 2

noun

1
: a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle, or sheep
2
: a farm or area devoted to a particular specialty
3

ranch

2 of 2

verb

ranched; ranching; ranches

intransitive verb

: to live or work on a ranch

transitive verb

1
: to work as a rancher on
2
: to raise on a ranch

Examples of ranch in a Sentence

Noun lives on a cattle ranch in Texas that's as big as the whole state of Rhode Island Verb My grandfather started ranching here 150 years ago. The family has ranched 10,000 acres here for the past 150 years. The family has been ranching cattle here for 150 years.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Nell Reed continued returning to the ranch after James' death, hunting and visiting with guests. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 9 May 2024 Returning to California, McCloskey practiced law in the San Francisco area before cutting back his hours and moving to a ranch near the tiny Yolo County town of Rumsey. Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for ranch 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ranch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Mexican Spanish rancho small ranch, from Spanish, camp, hut & Spanish dialect, small farm, from Old Spanish ranchearse to take up quarters, from Middle French se ranger to take up a position, from ranger to set in a row — more at range

First Known Use

Noun

1831, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1851, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of ranch was in 1831

Dictionary Entries Near ranch

Cite this Entry

“Ranch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranch. Accessed 16 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

ranch

1 of 2 noun
1
: a place for the raising of livestock (as cattle, horses, or sheep) on range
2
: a farm devoted to a specific crop or kind of animal
a fruit ranch
a mink ranch
3

ranch

2 of 2 verb
: to live or work on a ranch

More from Merriam-Webster on ranch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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