ranch

[ ranch ]

noun

1. an establishment maintained for raising livestock under range conditions.
2. Chiefly Western U.S. and Canada. a large farm used primarily to raise one kind of crop or animal:

   a mink ranch.

3. a dude ranch.
4. the persons employed or living on a ranch.
5. ranch house.
6. ranch dressing:

   I’ll have the small salad, with ranch on the side.

verb (used without object)

1. to manage or work on a ranch.

ranch

/ rɑːntʃ /

noun

1. a large tract of land, esp one in North America, together with the necessary personnel, buildings, and equipment, for rearing livestock, esp cattle
2. 1. any large farm for the rearing of a particular kind of livestock or crop

      a mink ranch

   2. the buildings, land, etc, connected with it

verb

1. intr to manage or run a ranch
2. tr to raise (animals) on or as if on a ranch

Other Words From

• ranchless adjective
• ranchlike adjective
• un·ranched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ranch¹

An Americanism dating from 1800–10; from Spanish rancho “farm, cattle farm, ranch”; rancho

Word History and Origins

Origin of ranch¹

C19: from Mexican Spanish rancho small farm; see rancho

Example Sentences

‘Yellowstone’ co-creator Taylor Sheridan’s ranch is suing star Cole Hauser’s coffee brand for copyright infringement.

From Los Angeles Times

On the surface, mine was just another suburban household in a California ranch house: mom, dad, three kids, two dogs and a cat.

From Los Angeles Times

Some gusts in Porter Ranch and the eastern Santa Monica Mountains hit 60 miles per hour, with Santa Monica and Los Angeles International Airport recording winds in the 20 to 30 mph range.

From Los Angeles Times

As a devoted Republican who runs a cattle ranch and proudly talks about owning a gun, Shasta County Supervisor Mary Rickert is an unlikely progressive icon.

From Los Angeles Times

The project has two nursery sites now: a seed bank near Paramount Ranch and the main nursery off Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, where thousands of seeds have been planted in tiny flats and then repotted to grow large enough to be planted.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dairy farm
• estate
• homestead
• land
• plantation