Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

ranch house

American  

noun

  1. the house of the owner of a ranch, usually of one story and with a low-pitched roof.

  2. Also called rambler.  any one-story house of the same general form, especially one built in the suburbs.


Etymology

Origin of ranch house

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

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.

The partners leased their first of three parcels of barren flatland for around $25,000 a month, anchored by a dilapidated ranch house.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

My family first lived in a gold-colored, stucco ranch house with a black roof in a middle-class section of Woodland Hills.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

One was a ranch house once owned by legendary Willy Wonka actor Gene Wilder.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2025

In fall 2017, Piccin and his wife lost their ranch house when the Tubbs fire roared through Northern California’s famed wine region.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2025

To counteract any evil result of that bad conjunction he walked quickly past the ranch house, through the chicken yard, through the vegetable patch, until he came at last to the brush line.

From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "ranch house" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com