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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The fundamental ingredients in this recipe consist of chuck or beef roast, butter, soup or gravy flavoring mix, ranch dressing mix, and pepperoncini peppers. Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025 Morro Bay was once a bustling port city that primarily dealt in the shipment of dairy and beef from the local ranches in the area. Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
The owners typically don’t have family ties to ranching and decided to buy trophy properties after making their fortune in tech or finance. Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2025 View the relics of ranching history. Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 26 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ranch

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ranch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranch. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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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