ranger

noun

rang·​er ˈrān-jər How to pronounce ranger (audio)
1
a
: the keeper of a British royal park or forest
2
: one that ranges
3
a
: one of a body of organized armed men who range over a region especially to enforce the law
b
: a soldier specially trained in close-range fighting and in raiding tactics

Examples of ranger in a Sentence

She's now a ranger at a national forest in Montana. We were fortunate enough to get a tour from a ranger when we visited Yellowstone National Park.
Recent Examples on the Web Some even carried bottles away into the forest, frustrating the rangers’ efforts. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 The keynote speaker is former U.S. Attorney Robert S. Brewer Jr., who served in Vietnam as an airborne ranger and infantry officer in the Army and received a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Nov. 2023 One day, the rangers hoped to raise crocodiles all the way to slaughter. Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023 On June 30, kayakers discovered a body in the water near Dayton Cincinnati Pike and Shephard Road, The Dayton Daily News reported, and five Rivers MetroParks rangers responded to the scene. David Chiu, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023 The person had a scratch and a puncture wound on their hand; National Park Service rangers gave medical aid at the scene. Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023 Just check in with the campground host or ranger about the process. Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 19 Oct. 2023 Jesse Gould, a former Army ranger and founder of the Heroic Hearts Project, says that many veterans seek out psilocybin and MDMA for treating otherwise-intractable cases of post-traumatic stress disorder. Celia Ford, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2023 Her body was recovered by first responders from Reems Creek Fire Department, rangers from Mt. Mitchell State Park and a volunteer from a trauma intervention program. Stephen Smith, CBS News, 25 Sep. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ranger was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ranger

Cite this Entry

“Ranger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranger. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

ranger

noun
rang·​er ˈrān-jər How to pronounce ranger (audio)
1
2
a
: a member of a body of troops who range over a region
b
: a soldier in an army unit with special training (as parachute jumping and scuba diving) for making surprise attacks and raids
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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