ranger

American  

[reyn-jer] / ˈreɪn dʒər /

noun

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

• underranger noun

Etymology

Origin of ranger

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

Example Sentences

"He seems to like going into the trap and getting all the parsnips," said lead ranger Helen McDonald.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

"Whilst a small number of the total, they are uncomfortable, distressing and possibly threatening to the ranger involved," it added.

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

His equally charismatic, Golden Globe-winning role, alongside Tommy Lee Jones, as a former Texas ranger in the massively popular 1989 miniseries “Lonesome Dove,” proved that he could be an old-school cowboy hero.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

When a park ranger contacted Propeck, he denied he was the man in the video, saying he’d used artificial intelligence to superimpose his face onto the footage, the complaint states.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

The ranger did not wait for an answer but started at once, moving upward with fingers and feet, faster than Jon would have believed.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin