Skip to the word

Added 3 October 2026

ranch

/ˈɹɑːnt͡ʃ/ noun

In Latin: lātifundium Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ranch at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A large plot of land used for raising cattle, sheep or other livestock.
A small farm that cultivates vegetables or livestock, especially one in the Southwestern United States.
A house or property on a plot of ranch land.

verb

To operate a ranch; to engage in ranching.
Formally the widow still ranches, but in fact she leaves all ranching to the foreman.
To work on a ranch.
Bill had ranched only five years when his dad made him foreman.

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word