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\ ˈranch 
\
\Definition of ranch
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle, or sheep
2 : a farm or area devoted to a particular specialty
3 : ranch house
ranch
verbranched; ranching; ranches
Definition of ranch (Entry 2 of 2)
: to live or work on a ranch
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Never mind those fancy ranch hunters that are shooting pet bulls on the eastern side of the state.
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Drew Palmer, Outdoor Life, "50 Hunter Stereotypes from Every State," 15 May 2020 Xi, who became overall leader in 2012, made his first visit to the U.S. in that capacity the next year, repairing to a California ranch for an informal summit with Obama.
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Bloomberg.com, "Biden Championed Close China Ties and Then Xi Came Along," 11 May 2020 Nearly 15 years ago, Mike and his family made the jump from a big, landlocked house in Birmingham’s Greystone community to a much smaller ’70s-style ranch on a bay in Florida.
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al, "Meet the Alabama man who coined the term ‘30A’," 6 May 2020 The Trolls World Tour virtual press tour made a stop at Kelly Clarkson's Montana ranch for a virtual visit last week, and her kids were absolutely thrilled.
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Tierney Mcafee, Country Living, "Kelly Clarkson’s Kids Adorably Crashed Her 'Trolls' Interview with Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick," 14 Apr. 2020 In an exclusive segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson gave viewers a glimpse into her ranch life and shared the story behind it.
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Kelly Allen, House Beautiful, "Kelly Clarkson Gives Viewers a Glimpse Into Her Montana Ranch," 6 Apr. 2020 Candice Rainey’s 2018 piece about a ranch retreat in Colorado throws fuel on that fire through her depictions of life in the American wilderness—from cattle herding and horseback riding to whiskey shots at communal dinners and camping under stars.
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Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Travel Stories We're Reading to Escape Right Now," 27 Mar. 2020 Classic ketchup or ranch are standbys, but some prefer mustard or mayo.
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Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Restaurant french fries don't travel well. Here's how to make great ones at home," 26 Mar. 2020 Hotels and ranches offered full calendars of entertainment including roulette lessons, singalongs, live music performances and even bawdy shows.
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Sofia Grant, Time, "How Reno Became 'the Divorce Capital of the World'—And Why That Reputation Faded," 14 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Despite cattle ranching being their main source of income, the family stopped grazing in certain riparian areas where ocelots were photographed.
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Erin Stone, azcentral, "Imperiled ocelots found south of the U.S.-Mexico border, renewing concerns about a wall," 1 Feb. 2020 Berreth’s disappearance last year drew national attention to rural Teller County, where Frazee ranched and worked as a farrier, including for the beloved free-roaming donkeys of Cripple Creek.
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Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, "Kelsey Berreth murder case: Jury has reached verdict in Patrick Frazee’s trial in Colorado," 18 Nov. 2019 According to the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, cattle ranching accounts for 80% of current deforestation rates in the Amazon.
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CBS News, "Did U.S. companies and consumers help fuel the fires in the Amazon rainforest?," 27 Feb. 2020 The average age of the principal operator of a farm or ranch these days is 58.
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National Geographic, "Two visions collide amid push to restore Montana plains," 16 Jan. 2020 The one preserved at the Redbird Ranch subdivision belonged to the Padilla-Zimmerle-Martinez ranching families, pioneer settlers of this area near the Bexar-Medina county line.
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Paula Allen, ExpressNews.com, "Cemetery preserves history of San Antonio area ranching families," 21 Dec. 2019 The road connects State Road 188, which runs north to south along the west side of the Tonto River to about 1,500 people on the east side, including some deeply rooted ranching families in the Tonto Basin.
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Andrew Oxford, azcentral, "After deadly flood, Arizona lawmaker proposes $20M to build bridge over Tonto Creek," 17 Dec. 2019 In any case, the Sussexes might benefit from some time ranching out in the fresh air and big skies of Montana.
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Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, "Fit for a Prince: Where in the West Should Meghan and Harry Move?," 16 Jan. 2020 The discovery of two fossilized dinosaur skeletons intertwined in what looks like a final death match could make a Montana ranching couple rich beyond their dreams.
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Amy Beth Hanson, chicagotribune.com, "Millions of dollars are at stake for a Montana ranching couple after the discovery of two fossilized ‘dueling dinosaur’ skeletons," 7 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ranch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for ranch
ranch
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of ranch
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a large farm especially in the U.S. where animals (such as cattle, horses, and sheep) are raised
chiefly US : a farm for a special crop or kind of animal
ranch
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of ranch (Entry 2 of 2)
: to live or work on a ranch
chiefly US : to raise (an animal) on a ranch
See the full definition for ranch in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ranch
noun\ ˈranch \
\Kids Definition of ranch
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a large farm for the raising of livestock (as cattle)
2 : a farm devoted to a special crop
ranch
verbranched; ranching
Kids Definition of ranch (Entry 2 of 2)
: to live or work on a large farm where livestock are raised
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Time Traveler for ranch
The first known use of ranch was in 1831
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