pasture

1 of 2

noun

pas·​ture ˈpas-chər 

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

pasture

2 of 2

verb

pastured; pasturing

intransitive verb

: graze, browse

transitive verb

1

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

2

: to use as pasture

Synonyms of pasture

Noun

• ranch
• yard
• pasturage
• prairie

Verb

• graze

Examples of pasture in a Sentence

Noun

The horses were grazing in the pasture.

Most of their land is pasture.

Verb

The horses are pastured on several acres of land.

pasturing sheep on town lands was actually a cheaper alternative to mowing

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wild antelope prance freely while bison lazily graze in pastures. —Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 17 Apr. 2026

And ranchers are looking for hay in case the rangeland and pastures can’t provide enough food for their cattle this summer. —Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2026

Verb

Sadly, the last Blockbuster (aside from one defiant Bend, Oregon, outlier) went out to pasture in 2014, and independent video stores are an increasingly rare sight. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026

In Wisconsin, dairy farms are smaller, herds are smaller, and cows are usually sent out to pasture to graze in good weather, which is not easy to come by in Wisconsin. —Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing pasture

• put out to pasture

Rhymes for pasture

• goodpasture

Kids Definition

pasture

1 of 2 noun

pas·​ture ˈpas-chər 

1

: plants (as grass) for feeding especially grazing animals

2

: land or a plot of land used for grazing

pasture

2 of 2 verb

pastured; pasturing

1

: graze entry 1 sense 1

2

: to feed (as cattle) on pasture