pasture

noun pas·ture \ ˈpas-chər \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: pasture in a Sentence

Definition of pasture

1 : plants (such as grass) grown for the feeding especially of grazing animals

2 : land or a plot of land used for grazing

3 : the feeding of livestock : grazing

See pasture defined for English-language learners

See pasture defined for kids

Examples of pasture in a Sentence

The horses were grazing in the pasture.
Most of their land is pasture.

Recent Examples of pasture from the Web

The farm and pasture land, on the north side of U.S. 290 between FM 362 and James Muse Parkway, was purchased from the Schild family, which had owned it for generations.

— katherine feser, Houston Chronicle, "Wolff Cos. bets on the U.S. 290 for its next development," 13 July 2018
An animal lucky enough to be part of the restaurateur/rancher’s herd in northwestern Spain gets to laze about in mountain pastures redolent of thyme and other fragrant herbs.

— oliver griffin, WSJ, "Like Your Steak Aged 36 Months? Try 17 Years," 10 July 2018
Plenty of coastline gives fresh seafood, while large swaths of the north provide pasture for cattle.

— lauren mowery, USA TODAY, "Costa Rican coffee, from rural farms to Starbucks' visitor center," 26 June 2018
Others inside and outside the administration have expressed concern that the agency is being used as a pasture for former Trump campaign workers and administration officials who have left previous jobs.

— lev facher, STAT, "Empty desks, squabbles, inexperienced staff: Exactly who is coordinating White House drug policy?," 18 June 2018
Adam Putnam has scrubbed plans to hold a fundraising reception Thursday at the Orlando home of a man videotaped in 2008 shooting two pet huskies that entered a cow pasture.

— adam c. smith, miamiherald, "Update: Adam Putnam cancels campaign fundraiser with supporter who shot dogs | Miami Herald," 24 May 2018
The Bay Area’s first drive-in was the Concord Motor-In, a 450-car theater built on cow pastures in 1947.

— peter hartlaub, SFChronicle.com, "SF almost had a Sutro Drive-In in 1950, and more local outdoor movie history," 13 July 2018
The call lasts 15 minutes with the caller trying to get Cassell out of the pasture.

— maytal levi, Cincinnati.com, "Bison attacks woman on her New Richmond farm," 6 July 2018
Mounting tensions Additional conflicts arise when pastoralists lead their livestock into the park in search of pasture during dry spells.

— christopher bendana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Uganda's pride: Lions test locals' patience," 27 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pasture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pasture

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pastura, from Latin pastus, past participle of pascere to feed — more at food

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

pasture Synonyms

Synonyms

lea (or ley), pasturage, range;

Related Words

ranch, station;

feedlot, stockyard, yard;

grassland, pampas, prairie, savanna (also savannah), steppe;

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

pasture

verb

Definition of pasture

pastured; pasturing

intransitive verb

: graze, browse

transitive verb

1 : to feed (animals, such as cattle) on pasture

2 : to use as pasture

See pasture defined for English-language learners

Examples of pasture in a Sentence

The horses are pastured on several acres of land.
pasturing sheep on town lands was actually a cheaper alternative to mowing

Recent Examples of pasture from the Web

This was a lot pastured by the left and manufactured by the left.

— Fox News, "Ann Coulter on the status of Trump's immigration agenda," 20 May 2018
At the time, ranchers were required to remove any dead animals and undertake just one additional preventive measure from a menu of options, which could be as basic as not turning out to pasture underweight calves that could be easier targets.

— New York Times, "Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf Scientist?," 5 July 2018
The new label would exclude from certification hydroponic farming and large livestock farms that don't pasture their animals, known as contained animal feeding operations or CAFOs.

— Fox News, "'True' organic food will soon get even more labels," 10 Apr. 2018
Prepared and served free-range chicken and pastured beef and pork.

— Southern Living, "A Loving Tribute to a True Southern Food Legend," 13 Apr. 2018
The additional label, which does not yet have a name or wording, would indicate that a tomato, for example, has been grown in soil, and that meat and dairy products came from farms that pasture their animals.

— Fox News, "'True' organic food will soon get even more labels," 10 Apr. 2018
That means helping farmers make a full-time living raising tomatoes and greens or pastured pork or eggs.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "The perseverance of Alice Chalmers and Ohio Valley Food Connection," 25 Jan. 2018
A steep, slippery descent on the Italian side that’s hemmed in by precipices and bottoms out in a valley suitable for pasturing horses and pack animals.

— Smithsonian, "How (and Where) Did Hannibal Cross the Alps?," 28 June 2017
In the past, many Qatari families have simply pastured their camels in Saudi Arabia, traveling back and forth across the border to tend to their livestock.

— chicagotribune.com, "Saudi Arabia deports 15,000 Qatari camels," 21 June 2017