ranch

1 of 2

noun

ˈranch 

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

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

Synonyms of ranch

Noun

• farm

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

Nelson Shirley’s cattle ranches, in western New Mexico and eastern Arizona, overlap with that experimental area. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026

Brushed with seasoned butter and topped with bacon ranch, green onion, and candied jalapeños. — Bianca Harris, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Verb

Nestled serenely in northern South Dakota on Native American land and surrounded by livestock and crops as far as the eye can see, Timber Lake is a ranching community with two pumps serving regular gas and no stoplights. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

His family lived in Monticello, a former ranching community of around 300 people in Napa County that dated to the mid-19th century. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2026

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

Phrases Containing ranch

• dude ranch
• raised ranch
• ranch dressing
• ranch hand
• ranch house

Rhymes for ranch

• blanch
• branch
• cranch
• manche
• stanch
• tranche
• avalanche

Kids Definition

ranch

1 of 2 noun

ˈranch 

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 house sense 2

ranch

2 of 2 verb

: to live or work on a ranch