ranger

noun

rang·​er ˈrān-jər How to pronounce ranger (audio)
1
a
: the keeper of a British royal park or forest
2
: one that ranges
3
a
: one of a body of organized armed men who range over a region especially to enforce the law
b
: a soldier specially trained in close-range fighting and in raiding tactics

Examples of ranger in a Sentence

She's now a ranger at a national forest in Montana. We were fortunate enough to get a tour from a ranger when we visited Yellowstone National Park.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While passing near a grassland in the park, rangers noticed a herd of antelope with one white individual. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025 During the current shutdown, there have been sporadic reports of unauthorized drone use, and law enforcement rangers are responding as normal. Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025 Rader Lane, the ranger, said researchers had found that the elk might be crowding into the village because the Coconino Rim just south of there, where we were headed next, had a particularly high concentration of mountain lions. Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025 According to audio of the police call obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune, a hiker called the police on June 7, about 40 hours before rangers were notified of the father and son's deaths. Eva Wen, jsonline.com, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ranger

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ranger was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ranger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranger. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

ranger

noun
rang·​er ˈrān-jər How to pronounce ranger (audio)
1
2
a
: a member of a body of troops who range over a region
b
: a soldier in an army unit with special training (as parachute jumping and scuba diving) for making surprise attacks and raids

More from Merriam-Webster on ranger

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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