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• ranger
  ranger

  noun

  forest ranger.
• Ranger
  Ranger

  noun

  a member of the senior branch of the Guides

ranger

American  

[reyn-jer] / ˈreɪn dʒər /

noun

• rangers
  plural

1. forest ranger.

2. one of a body of armed guards who patrol a region.

3. (initial capital letter) a U.S. soldier in World War II specially trained for making surprise raids and attacks in small groups.

4. a soldier specially trained in the techniques of guerrilla warfare, especially in jungle terrain.

5. a person who ranges or roves.

6. (especially in Texas) a member of the state police.

7. British. a keeper of a royal forest or park.

8. Building Trades. wale.

9. (initial capital letter) one of a series of instrumented U.S. space probes launched in the 1960s that transmitted closeup pictures of the moon before impacting the lunar surface.

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ranger ¹ British  

/ ˈreɪndʒə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) an official in charge of a forest, park, estate, nature reserve, etc

2. Brit equivalent: warden.  a person employed to patrol a State or national park or forest

3. one of a body of armed troops employed to police a State or district

   a Texas Ranger

4. (in the US and certain other armies) a commando specially trained in making raids

5. a person who wanders about large areas of country; a rover

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Ranger ² British  

/ ˈreɪndʒə /

noun

1. a member of the senior branch of the Guides

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Ranger ³ British  

/ ˈreɪndʒə /

noun

1. any of a series of nine American lunar probes launched between 1961 and 1965, three of which transmitted to earth photographs of the moon

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underranger
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rangers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ranger

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at range, -er ¹

Explanation

A ranger is a person who takes care of a park or a piece of land. A park ranger makes sure the rules are followed and provides information to visitors. Someone who takes a job as a forest ranger might patrol an area of wooded land, watching for fire danger and enforcing the rules. A ranger's tasks can vary from teaching kids about local plants and animals to fighting fires to arresting people who break laws in a state or national park. The original rangers were British employees of the king or queen who would "range" throughout the woods looking for poachers — people who illegally hunted on royal land.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ranger Ranger rangers

Park ranger, Emilia Fahlstromova, said that wood is the best material possible to restore the wetland habitats.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Peak District National Park Authority ranger Kate Wilson, 40, from Buxton in the county, has been just one of those searching for hotspots in the peatland, and helping to keep the flames from spreading.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

In April, the Superior Court dismissed the three citations Hubbard received in May 2025 when no park ranger or city attorney appeared for the prosecution, his lawsuit states.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Richard Kinsey, senior biodiversity ranger at the Department of Conservation, was part of the dive team that encountered the coral.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

Whenever they took shelter for the night, while he and Hodor and the Reeds huddled together for warmth, the ranger kept apart.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Small trucks like the original Ranger and Chevrolet S-10 were popular once but gave way to bigger and more expensive pickups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

It was “traumatizing, seeing that stuff on display for so long and then seeing it come down,” said James Ranger, a veteran hotel tour guide and Mission Inn Foundation docent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

The situation imperils GM’s heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, as well as midsize trucks that compete for buyers with Toyota’s Tacoma and Ford’s Ranger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

After the meeting Ranger said he had been unaware Royal Mail had, allegedly, hidden post from him.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

He called the Chief Ranger of Lands and Forests, and received assurance that word would be circulated throughout the department, and the game wardens and foresters contacted—tomorrow.

From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford

"National Park Service rangers and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene," the service said in a statement seen by the BBC's US partner CBS.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Cardiff Rugby academy players stumbled on Christopher's bathtub while carrying out essential maintenance work on the mountain, and helped rangers retrieve it.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

He said he didn’t see any park staff in the outdoor areas, and instead, he and his wife made sure to take their kids into the park’s buildings so they could speak to the rangers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

John Mosby and his rangers from using the county’s farms for food and shelter, the Union Army burned more than 200 barns in the winter of 1864.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

“I’m going to climb that big tree and see what’s going on. Park Service rangers at the John Burroughs Woodchuck Lodge? Humph. Some story.”

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George