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ranch

noun, verb — 7 senses

ranch

noun

UK /ˈɹɑːnt͡ʃ/ · US /ˈɹænt͡ʃ/

Etymology Recorded since 1808, farm sense since 1831. From American Spanish rancho (“small farm, group of farm huts”), in Spanish originally “group of people who eat together." Cognate with English rank.

1

A large plot of land used for raising cattle, sheep or other livestock.

  • There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town. “Mason Rickets, he had ten big punkins a-sittin' in front of his store, an' them fellers from the Upside-down-F ranch shot 'em up […].”1899, Stephen Crane, chapter 1, in Twelve O'Clock:
2

A small farm that cultivates vegetables or livestock, especially one in the Southwestern United States.

3

A house or property on a plot of ranch land.

4

Business, Real estate A ranch-style house.

5

Ranch dressing.

Derived terms
26 termsbet the ranch, bunny ranch, cattle ranch, dude ranch, guest ranch, raised ranch, ranchboy, ranchburger, ranch dressing, rancher, ranchette, ranchgirl, ranchhand, ranch house, ranchhouse, ranchland, ranchlike, ranchman, ranch-sieve, ranch slider, ranchslider, ranchstead, ranch-style, ranchwoman, ranchy, splanch

ranch

verb

Etymology Recorded since 1808, farm sense since 1831. From American Spanish rancho (“small farm, group of farm huts”), in Spanish originally “group of people who eat together." Cognate with English rank.

1

To operate a ranch; to engage in ranching.

  • Formally the widow still ranches, but in fact she leaves all ranching to the foreman.
2

To work on a ranch.

  • Bill had ranched only five years when his dad made him foreman.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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