RANGE

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does range mean? 

• RANGE (noun)
  The noun RANGE has 9 senses:

1. an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:

2. the limits within which something can be effective

3. a large tract of grassy open land on which livestock can graze

4. a series of hills or mountains

5. a place for shooting (firing or driving) projectiles of various kinds

6. a variety of different things or activities

7. (mathematics) the set of values of the dependent variable for which a function is defined

8. the limit of capability

9. a kitchen appliance used for cooking food

  Familiarity information: RANGE used as a noun is familiar.

• RANGE (verb)
  The verb RANGE has 8 senses:

1. change or be different within limits

2. move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

3. have a range; be capable of projecting over a certain distance, as of a gun

4. range or extend over; occupy a certain area

5. lay out orderly or logically in a line or as if in a line

6. feed as in a meadow or pasture

7. let eat

8. assign a rank or rating to

  Familiarity information: RANGE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RANGE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

ambit; compass; orbit; range; reach; scope

Context example:

in the political orbit of a world power

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

extent (the distance or area or volume over which something extends)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

confines (a bounded scope)

palette; pallet (the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art)

spectrum (a broad range of related objects or values or qualities or ideas or activities)

gamut (a complete extent or range:)

expanse; sweep (a wide scope)

horizon; purview; view (the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated)

latitude (scope for freedom of e.g. action or thought; freedom from restriction)

internationalism; internationality (quality of being international in scope)

contrast (the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness))

approximate range; ballpark (near to the scope or range of something)

Derivation:

range (change or be different within limits)

range (range or extend over; occupy a certain area)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The limits within which something can be effective

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

range; reach

Context example:

he was beyond the reach of their fire

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

limit (as far as something can go)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

earreach; earshot; hearing (the range within which a voice can be heard)

eyeshot; view (the range of the eye)

rifle range; rifle shot (the distance that a rifle bullet will carry)

Derivation:

range (change or be different within limits)

range (have a range; be capable of projecting over a certain distance, as of a gun)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A large tract of grassy open land on which livestock can graze

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

he dreamed of a home on the range

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

home range; home territory (the area in which an animal normally ranges)

Derivation:

rangy (adapted to wandering or roaming)

rangy (allowing ample room for ranging)

range (feed as in a meadow or pasture)

range (let eat)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A series of hills or mountains

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

chain; chain of mountains; mountain chain; mountain range; range; range of mountains

Context example:

the plains lay just beyond the mountain range

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

formation; geological formation ((geology) the geological features of the earth)

Meronyms (parts of "range"):

massif (a block of the earth's crust bounded by faults and shifted to form peaks of a mountain range)

mountain pass; notch; pass (the location in a range of mountains of a geological formation that is lower than the surrounding peaks)

Instance hyponyms:

San Juan Mountains (a mountain range in southwestern Colorado that is part of the Rocky Mountains)

Sacramento Mountains (mountain range in New Mexico to the east of the Rio Grande)

Rockies; Rocky Mountains (the chief mountain range of western North America; extends from British Columbia to northern New Mexico; forms the continental divide)

Rhodope Mountains (a mountain range in the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe; extends along the border between Greece and Bulgaria)

Pyrenees (a chain of mountains between France and Spain)

Pamir Mountains; the Pamirs (a mountain range in central Asia that is centered in Tajikistan but extends into Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan and Pakistan and western China)

Ozark Mountains; Ozark Plateau; Ozarks (an area of low mountains in northwestern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma)

Hindu Kush; Hindu Kush Mountains (a mountain range extending to the west of the Himalayas)

Nan Ling (a mountain range in southeastern China running generally east to west)

Mount Carmel (a mountain range in northwestern Israel near the Mediterranean coast)

Mesabi Range (a range of hills in northeastern Minnesota where rich iron ore deposits were discovered in 1887)

Kuenlun; Kuenlun Mountains; Kunlan Shan; Kunlun; Kunlun Mountains (a mountain range in western China that extends eastward from the Indian border for 1000 miles)

Karakoram; Karakoram Range; Karakorum Range; Mustagh; Mustagh Range (a mountain range in northern Kashmir; an extension of the Hindu Kush; contains the 2nd highest peak)

Cumberland Mountains; Cumberland Plateau (the southwestern part of the Appalachians)

Sayan Mountains (a range of mountains in southern Siberia to the west of Lake Baikal; contain important mineral deposits)

Selkirk Mountains (a range of the Rocky Mountains in southeastern British Columbia)

sierra (a range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline))

Sierra Madre Occidental (a mountain range in northwestern Mexico that runs south from Arizona parallel to the Pacific coastline)

Sierra Madre Oriental (a mountain range in northeastern Mexico the runs parallel to the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico)

High Sierra; Sierra Nevada; Sierra Nevada Mountains (a mountain range in eastern California; contains Mount Whitney)

Sierra Nevada (a mountain range in southern Spain along the Mediterranean coast to the east of Granada)

St. Elias Mountains; St. Elias Range (a range of mountains between Alaska and the Yukon territory)

Taconic Mountains (a range of the Appalachian Mountains along the eastern border of New York with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont)

Teton Range (a mountain range in northwest Wyoming; contains the Grand Teton)

Tien Shan; Tyan Shan (a major mountain range of central Asia; extends 1,500 miles)

Transylvanian Alps (a range of the southern Carpathian Mountains extending across central Romania)

Tyrolean Alps (a popular tourist area in the Tyrol)

Ural Mountains; Urals (a mountain range in western Russia extending from the Arctic to the Caspian Sea; forms part of the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia)

Guadalupe Mountains (a mountain range in southern New Mexico and western Texas; the southern extension of the Sacramento Mountains)

Adirondack Mountains; Adirondacks (a mountain range in northeastern New York State; a popular resort area)

Admiralty Range (mountains in Antarctica to the north of Victoria Land)

Alaska Range (a mountain range in south central Alaska; contains Mount McKinley)

Alleghenies; Allegheny Mountains (the western part of the Appalachian Mountains; extending from northern Pennsylvania to southwestern Virginia)

Alps; the Alps (a large mountain system in south-central Europe; scenic beauty and winter sports make them a popular tourist attraction)

Altai Mountains; Altay Mountains (a mountain range in central Asia that extends a thousand miles from Kazakhstan eastward into western Mongolia and northern China)

Andes (a mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast)

Apennines (a mountain range extending the length of the Italian peninsula)

Appalachian Mountains; Appalachians (a mountain range in the eastern United States extending from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico; a historic barrier to early westward expansion of the United States)

Atlas Mountains (a mountain range in northern Africa between the Mediterranean and the Sahara Desert; extends from southwestern Morocco to northern Tunisia)

Australian Alps (a range of mountains in Australia that forms the southern end of the Great Dividing Range)

Balkan Mountain Range; Balkan Mountains; Balkans (the major mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula)

Berkshire Hills; Berkshires (a low mountain range in western Massachusetts; a resort area)

Blue Ridge; Blue Ridge Mountains (a range of the Appalachians extending from southern Pennsylvania to northern Georgia)

Black Hills (mountains in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming; sacred to the Sioux (whites settling in the Black Hills led to the Battle of Little Bighorn); site of Mount Rushmore)

Himalaya; Himalaya Mountains; Himalayas (a mountain range extending 1500 miles on the border between India and Tibet; this range contains the world's highest mountain)

Green Mountains (a range of the Appalachian Mountains that extends from south to north through Vermont)

Great Smoky Mountains (part of the Appalachians between North Carolina and Tennessee)

Eastern Highlands; Great Dividing Range (a mountain range running along the eastern coast of Australia)

Dolomite Alps (an eastern range of the Alps in northeastern Italy famous for their dolomitic limestone)

Coast Mountains; Coast Range (a string of mountain ranges along the Pacific coast of North America from southeastern Alaska to Lower California)

Caucasus; Caucasus Mountains (the mountain range in Caucasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea that forms part of the traditional border between Europe and Asia)

Catskill Mountains; Catskills (a range of the Appalachians to the west of the Hudson in southeastern New York; includes many popular resort areas)

Cascade Mountains; Cascade Range; Cascades (a mountain range in the northwestern United States extending through Washington and Oregon and northern California; a part of the Coast Range)

Carpathian Mountains; Carpathians (a mountain range in central Europe that extends from Slovakia and southern Poland southeastward through western Ukraine to northeastern Romania; a popular resort area)

Cantabrian Mountains (a range of mountains in northern Spain along the coast of the Bay of Biscay)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A place for shooting (firing or driving) projectiles of various kinds

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

any good golf club will have a range where you can practice

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

facility; installation (a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

rifle range (a range where people can practice shooting rifles)

practice range (a place for practicing golf shots)

test range (a range for conducting tests)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A variety of different things or activities

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

he was impressed by the range and diversity of the collection

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

assortment; miscellanea; miscellany; mixed bag; mixture; motley; potpourri; salmagundi; smorgasbord; variety (a collection containing a variety of sorts of things)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

band (a range of frequencies between two limits)

Derivation:

range (change or be different within limits)

Sense 7

Meaning:

(mathematics) the set of values of the dependent variable for which a function is defined

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

image; range; range of a function

Context example:

the image of f(x) = x^2 is the set of all non-negative real numbers if the domain of the function is the set of all real numbers

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

set ((mathematics) an abstract collection of numbers or symbols)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Derivation:

range (change or be different within limits)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The limit of capability

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

compass; grasp; range; reach

Context example:

within the compass of education

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

capability; capableness; potentiality (an aptitude that may be developed)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

ken; sight (the range of vision)

Derivation:

range (have a range; be capable of projecting over a certain distance, as of a gun)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A kitchen appliance used for cooking food

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cooking stove; kitchen range; kitchen stove; range; stove

Context example:

dinner was already on the stove

Hypernyms ("range" is a kind of...):

kitchen appliance (a home appliance used in preparing food)

Meronyms (parts of "range"):

grate; grating (a frame of iron bars to hold a fire)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "range"):

charcoal burner (a stove that burns charcoal as fuel)

cookstove (a stove for cooking (especially a wood- or coal-burning kitchen stove))

electric range (a kitchen range in which the heat for cooking is provided by electric power)

gas cooker; gas range; gas stove (a range with gas rings and an oven for cooking with gas)

potbelly; potbelly stove (a bulbous stove in which wood or coal is burned)

Primus; Primus stove (a portable paraffin cooking stove; used by campers)

spirit stove (a stove that burns a volatile liquid fuel such as alcohol)

• RANGE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Change or be different within limits

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

range; run

Context example:

My students range from very bright to dull

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Verb group:

extend; go; lead; pass; run (stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point)

lead; run (cause something to pass or lead somewhere)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

range (an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:)

range ((mathematics) the set of values of the dependent variable for which a function is defined)

range (a variety of different things or activities)

range (the limits within which something can be effective)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

cast; drift; ramble; range; roam; roll; rove; stray; swan; tramp; vagabond; wander

Context example:

They rolled from town to town

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Verb group:

drift; err; stray (wander from a direct course or at random)

wander (go via an indirect route or at no set pace)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "range"):

maunder (wander aimlessly)

gad; gallivant; jazz around (wander aimlessly in search of pleasure)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Have a range; be capable of projecting over a certain distance, as of a gun

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

This gun ranges over two miles

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "range"):

carry (be conveyed over a certain distance)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

range (the limit of capability)

range (the limits within which something can be effective)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Range or extend over; occupy a certain area

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

range; straddle

Context example:

The plants straddle the entire state

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

be; comprise; constitute; make up; represent (form or compose)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "range"):

spread-eagle (stretch over)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

range (an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control:)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Lay out orderly or logically in a line or as if in a line

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

array; lay out; range; set out

Context example:

lay out the arguments

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

arrange; set up (put into a proper or systematic order)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "range"):

compart (lay out in parts according to a plan)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Feed as in a meadow or pasture

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

browse; crop; graze; pasture; range

Context example:

the herd was grazing

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

eat; feed (take in food; used of animals only)

Verb group:

range (let eat)

crop; graze; pasture (let feed in a field or pasture or meadow)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

The animals range

Derivation:

range (a large tract of grassy open land on which livestock can graze)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Let eat

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Context example:

range the animals in the prairie

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

feed; give (give food to)

Verb group:

browse; crop; graze; pasture; range (feed as in a meadow or pasture)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

range (a large tract of grassy open land on which livestock can graze)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Assign a rank or rating to

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

grade; order; place; range; rank; rate

Context example:

The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide

Hypernyms (to "range" is one way to...):

evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "range"):

superordinate (place in a superior order or rank)

upgrade (rate higher; raise in value or esteem)

downgrade (rate lower; lower in value or esteem)

sequence (arrange in a sequence)

prioritise; prioritize (assign a priority to)

subordinate (rank or order as less important or consider of less value)

reorder (assign a new order to)

seed (distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds)

shortlist (put someone or something on a short list)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

 Context examples 

A range of values that characterizes an individual's mental development.

(Mental Scale, NCI Thesaurus)

It typically occurs in adults, often women and it has a wide range of histopathological appearances.

(Meningioma, NCI Thesaurus/Adapted from WHO)

And every day thereafter found him out and ranging a wider area.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Heating of tumors to the 40.5-42.5C range.

(Modest-Temperature Hyperthermia, NCI Thesaurus)

In what is called a target-of-opportunity observation, NuSTAR was redirected to take a look at high-energy X-rays from this source in the range of 3 to 79 kiloelectron volts.

(NuSTAR sees rare blurring of black hole light, NASA)

As to a fish-kittle, Mrs. Crupp said, well! would I only come and look at the range?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Reported values outside the typical or expected range.

(Abnormal Reference Range, NCI Thesaurus)

I am glad, glad, that I may here be of some use to you; for if your husband suffer, he suffer within the range of my study and experience.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The normal range for ANC is 1.5 to 8.0 (1,500 to 8,000/mm3).

(Absolute neutrophil count, NCI Thesaurus)

Severity can range from absence of symptoms to death.

(ABO Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn, NCI Thesaurus)