ranch

1 of 2

noun

1
: a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle, or sheep
2
: a farm or area devoted to a particular specialty
3

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

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
Chao, 50, died the night of Feb. 10 after having dinner with a large group at a ranch near Johnson City, west of Austin. Christopher Weber, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 Saturday is kids day at the ranch, with bubble-making, professional yo-yo competitors, face painting and BMX performances. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 Chao had been at the ranch with friends, according to the report. Sarah Dewberry, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Highlights include the Spa at Rancho Valencia, tennis and pickleball courts, easy access to golf, an array of resort activities on the daily schedule, and The Pony Room restaurant showcasing fresh and sustainable coastal ranch fare with outdoor dining. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2024 Cuoco was prepared to court the dog on her date, bringing a toy rose bouquet with her to woo her before the dynamic duo took a ride around Cuoco's Southern California ranch. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Home: This is a 3-bed, 2-and-a-half bath, 3,100-square foot, brick ranch home built in 1966 in Clarksville, Indiana. Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 7 Mar. 2024 One couple saddled up horses, keeping the ranch spirit alive. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 Nashville hot, spicy hot honey and green goddess ranch are just some of the new dressing and dip flavors Hidden Valley is stepping up its ranch game. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
This reality series follows a real-life ranching family in rural Missouri, much like the Duttons, who share an inside look at their business, McBee Farm and Cattle. as well as their personal affairs with audiences. Emily Blackwood, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Ranchlands This Colorado agricultural business operates large-scale cattle and bison ranches in addition to hospitality stays focused on preserving the legacy of ranching in the American West. Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 The initiative has caused turmoil in ranching communities that fear for their livestock. Elise Schmelzer, The Denver Post, 11 Jan. 2024 Peacock's upcoming reality series The McBee Family Dynasty: Real Life Cowboys is set to offer a behind-the-scenes look at rural Missouri's high-stakes world of farming and ranching through McBee Farm and Cattle. Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 On the grassland north of Flagstaff, a ranching family, solar developers and state wildlife biologists have come together to try out solutions on the fly. Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 Besides ranching, Smothers is a doting uncle to six nieces and nephews, welcoming his most recent nephew in January 2024. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 27 Jan. 2024 As governor, Burgum championed a Theodore Roosevelt presidential library in the state’s colorful Badlands where the 26th president hunted and ranched in the 1880s. Jack Dura, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2024 The film is a western that is also an anti-western, recounting the genocidal settlement of Tierra del Fuego by European and criollo ranching families who hired mercenaries to systematically kill Indigenous Selk’nam people to seize their land. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ranch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ranch was in 1831

Dictionary Entries Near ranch

Cite this Entry

“Ranch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranch. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ranch

1 of 2 noun
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

2 of 2 verb
: to live or work on a ranch

More from Merriam-Webster on ranch

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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