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

• farm

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

Private river frontage, creeks, springs, and senior water rights make the ranch entirely self-reliant—no outside feed required. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2025

Guaranteed to satisfy a crowd after a long day's work (on or off the ranch), this one-dish supper is easy to make and keep in the freezer to save suppertime. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 18 Aug. 2025

Verb

The vortexes near Wimberly, a small ranching city roughly halfway between San Antonio and Austin, spun out winds of 65 mph to 85 mph, each measuring EF0 on the 1 to 5 scale of tornado strength, and produced tree damage and minor structural damage, the weather service said. —Dennis Romero, NBC news, 13 June 2025

While most have some sort of ranching background, not all do. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 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