Meaning & use
ranches
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“ranches” is a form of “ranch”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
Large farms, especially in North America, where cattle, horses or sheep are raised on wide areas of grazing land.
Grammar: Plural of ranch: one ranch, two ranches.
Patterns
- ranches in somewhere
- cattle ranches
Cattle ranches stretch across much of western Texas.
Many ranches in Montana offer guest stays for tourists.
The family owns two ranches near the mountains.
nounplural
Farms that specialize in raising a particular animal or crop, such as mink, ostriches or fruit.
Grammar: Often has a modifier: fruit ranches, fish ranches.
Patterns
- ranches for something
Ostrich ranches appeared in the region in the 1990s.
Some salmon ranches release young fish into the sea.
verbintransitive
Third person singular of 'ranch': runs a ranch or raises livestock on one.
Grammar: No object: she ranches in Wyoming.
Patterns
- someone ranches in somewhere
She ranches in northern Wyoming with her brother.
He ranches cattle on land his grandfather bought.
Word forms
| singular | ranch |
|---|
Common combinations
- cattle ranches
- Cattle ranches cover much of the plains.
- dude ranches
- Dude ranches let city visitors ride horses and herd cattle.
- sprawling ranches
- Sprawling ranches dot the valley.
- family-owned ranches
- Family-owned ranches struggle when beef prices drop.
- work on ranches
- Many young people work on ranches during the summer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- farms
- This is the general word, while ranches suggests mainly grazing animals on very large areas.
- stations
- This is the Australian and New Zealand term for large livestock properties.
- estates
- This suggests a large property of any use, often with a grand house, and not necessarily animals.
- homesteads
- This often means the farmhouse and nearby buildings or an original settler's claim, not the whole grazing area.
Word family
- ranch noun
- one such farm
- rancher noun
- a person who owns or works a ranch
- ranching noun
- the business of running ranches
- ranch house noun
- a single-story house of a style common in the American West
Commonly confused: ranches or ranch dressing?
ranches vs ranch dressing
This is a creamy salad sauce, not related to farming, although the name comes from the same word.
Practice
Many ______ in Montana raise cattle across thousands of acres.
Choose one answer.
Ranches are large farms for grazing livestock. Orchards grow fruit trees, so they do not fit the cattle context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ranches”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.