pasture

1 of 2

noun

pas·​ture ˈpas-chər How to pronounce pasture (audio)
1
: plants (such as grass) grown for the feeding especially of grazing animals
2
: land or a plot of land used for grazing
3
: the feeding of livestock : grazing

pasture

2 of 2

verb

pastured; pasturing

transitive verb

1
: to feed (animals, such as cattle) on pasture
2
: to use as pasture

Examples of pasture in a Sentence

Noun The horses were grazing in the pasture. Most of their land is pasture. Verb The horses are pastured on several acres of land. pasturing sheep on town lands was actually a cheaper alternative to mowing
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There’s also a 100-foot x 200-foot year-round riding arena, additional horse and livestock stalls, and fenced pastures. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024 There are additional horse and livestock stalls and pastures on the land. David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 23 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pasture 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pasture.' 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

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pastura, from Latin pastus, past participle of pascere to feed — more at food

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

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

Dictionary Entries Near pasture

Cite this Entry

“Pasture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pasture. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

pasture

1 of 2 noun
pas·​ture ˈpas-chər How to pronounce pasture (audio)
1
: plants (as grass) for feeding especially grazing animals
2
: land or a plot of land used for grazing

pasture

2 of 2 verb
pastured; pasturing
1
2
: to feed (as cattle) on pasture

More from Merriam-Webster on pasture

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!