Meaning & use
ranch-style house
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
A long, low house built on one level, usually with a low roof and a wide, rambling shape.
Grammar: Countable noun: a ranch-style house; the 'ranch' alone is also used in the US.
Patterns
- a ranch-style house with something
They bought a ranch-style house with a big yard and a two-car garage.
A ranch-style house is easy for older owners because there are no stairs.
The street is lined with ranch-style houses from the 1960s.
Word forms
| plural | ranch-style houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- single-storey ranch-style house
- We found a single-storey ranch-style house near the lake.
- build a ranch-style house
- The developer plans to build a ranch-style house on each plot.
- ranch-style house plans
- Online ranch-style house plans often show an open kitchen.
- renovate a ranch-style house
- They renovated a ranch-style house by adding a second floor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bungalow
- Bungalow is the usual British word for a one-storey house, but it is often smaller and more compact than a ranch.
- rambler
- Rambler is an informal American alternative and stresses the spread-out layout.
Opposites
Word family
- ranch noun
- a large farm for livestock
- rancher noun
- a person who runs a ranch
- ranching noun
- the business of keeping livestock
Commonly confused: ranch-style house or ranch?
ranch-style house vs ranch
A ranch is a working farm for cattle or horses; a ranch-style house only copies its low, wide look.
Practice
Which description best fits a ranch-style house?
Choose one answer.
Ranch-style houses are single-level and wide. The others describe different house types, such as multi-storey homes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ranch-style house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.