Definition of ranch
1 : a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle, or sheep
2 : a farm or area devoted to a particular specialty
3 : ranch house
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Examples of ranch in a Sentence
lives on a cattle ranch in Texas that's as big as the whole state of Rhode Island
Recent Examples of ranch from the Web
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Wing Zone: Use the voucher code 1465 for 15 wings, ranch, and French fries.
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Currently, Madison is positioned to seize control of the ranch, now that its founders are gone and its militia is weak.
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The ranch house at the canyon was built in 1823 and was the first Mexican Land Grant in San Diego County, and the county’s second-oldest residence.
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He was gored in the early stages of the run, when the bulls from the ranch of Jose Escolar confirmed their reputation as being unpredictable.
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Cole grew up in Santa Ana, where his parents owned a ranch with more than 500,000 chickens.
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My dad is from a ranch in Zaragoza, my mom is from Zacatecas, and my grandmother on my mom’s side is from Durango.
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The Unleavened ($9.90 at the Dallas location) sounds fairly virtuous: chicken salad, currants, golden raisins, celery, chia, leaf lettuce, shaved carrot,garden sprouts, tomato, ranch.
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That's because it's known for three things: olives, wine, and horse ranches.
These 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.
Origin and Etymology of ranch
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
ranch
Definition of ranch
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
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 of ranch from the Web
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But that would require the government to take most of Cunningham’s ranch, not to mention property from farming and ranching neighbors.
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TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet may spend about $8.5 million next week to conserve thousands of acres of land owned for decades by two ranching families.
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Farming and ranching groups from across the Great Plains sent skeins of fence wire and new metal posts to drive three feet into the soil.
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The region evolved from ranching community to lumber producer until developer James Irvine bought a large portion of the land in 1912 and set about establishing an agri-business.
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The National Western features enrichment programs and youth education in livestock, equestrian, farming, ranching, animal awareness and appreciation.
These 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.
First Known Use of ranch
1851
RANCH Defined for English Language Learners
ranch
playDefinition of ranch for English Language Learners
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: a large farm especially in the U.S. where animals (such as cattle, horses, and sheep) are raised
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: a farm for a special crop or kind of animal
ranch
Definition of ranch for English Language Learners
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: to live or work on a ranch
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: to raise (an animal) on a ranch
RANCH Defined for Kids
Definition of ranch for Students
1 : a large farm for the raising of livestock (as cattle)
2 : a farm devoted to a special crop
History for ranch
In the Spanish language of the 1500s the verb rancharse was used by soldiers in the sense “to be camped” someplace. The conquistadors who took this verb to the Americas also were familiar with a derivative noun rancho, referring originally to a camp or temporary dwelling such as a hut. Both the general sense “dwelling” and the specifically Mexican sense “small farm” were adopted into American English in the 1800s—as rancho and the more English-sounding ranch. By the late 1800s ranch was most often not a small farm but a large piece of land devoted to raising livestock—a meaning the word still maintains.
Definition of ranch for Students
ranched
;ranching
: to live or work on a large farm where livestock are raised
rancher
nounLearn More about ranch
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See words that rhyme with ranch Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ranch Spanish Central: Translation of ranch Nglish: Translation of ranch for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ranch for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ranch
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