free-range
Americanadjective
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(of livestock and domestic poultry) permitted to graze or forage for grain, etc., rather than being confined to a feedlot or a small enclosure.
a free-range pig.
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of, relating to, or produced by free-range animals.
free-range eggs.
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Informal. noting or relating to a style of child rearing in which parents allow their children to move about without constant adult supervision: free-range parents.
free-range kids;
free-range parents.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of free-range
First recorded in 1910–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Depre raises around 17,500 free-range hens and 70,000 quails in sheds with outdoor runs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Silver Diner, which has locations across the Mid-Atlantic states, offers a free-range turkey platter with rosemary-sage gravy and ginger cranberry-orange sauce on its kids’ menu.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
The lower egg prices led people to buy more specialty eggs, which includes the premium varieties of cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised and nutritionally enhanced eggs.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
Participants spend months learning how to plant orchards, raise free-range livestock and tap syrup from the thickets of maple and sycamore trees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
“Oh, everything’s fine. She’s not with me right now. Letting kids do things by themselves is called free-range parenting. So we can learn to make good choices.”
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
