rancheria

American  

[ran-chuh-ree-uh, rahn-che-ree-ah] / ˌræn tʃəˈri ə, ˌrɑn tʃɛˈri ɑ /

noun

Chiefly Southwestern U.S.

plural

rancherias

1. a family household unit or settlement.

2. a hut or house where rancheros live.

3. a village of such huts.

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Example Sentences

Rachel Williams, the vice chair of the rancheria, sat on the ground, grinding acorn meat in a stone mortar that had been handed down by her great grandmother.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2025

The friction is exacerbated by the peculiar history of the Redding Rancheria — and by opponents’ 11th-hour invocation of the Sacramento River massacre, 19 years after the rancheria began to assemble parcels for the project.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2023

The rancheria sits in a relatively obscure location compared with the interstate-adjacent site of the proposed casino, more than three miles by car to the northeast.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2023

During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rancheria donated $5,000 each to 60 businesses struggling to stay afloat.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2023

Moraga mentions the rancheria Coyahete with a population of 400 in 1806.

From The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley, California by Cook, Sherburne F.