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

Noun

• estate
• farm
• farmstead
• grange

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

The road passes vast farm fields, undulating grasslands dotted with towering wind turbines and sprawling cattle ranches before entering Amarillo, the Panhandle’s largest city. —Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025

The area includes horse ranches and lies just south of the riverbed of the San Diego River. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

Verb

Over the next 30 years, the steamboat captain, born the son of Irish immigrants in New York, built a ranching empire still known today for its beef cattle and quarter horses. —Pam Leblanc, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2025

Four rural counties have declared states of emergency citing threats to ranching. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025

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 house

Rhymes for ranch

• blanch
• branch
• cranch
• 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