# range

Pronunciation: say "RAYNJ" /ɹeɪnd͡ʒ/

## Noun

1. A collection of different things of the same general kind; a selection or array.
   - Simple: A group of different things to choose from.
   - _The committee considered a range of options before deciding._
   - _The boutique stocks a broad range of handmade jewelry._
3. The extent or reach covered by something; its scope or compass.
   - Simple: How far something reaches or how much it covers.
   - _The investigation's range extended well beyond the original suspects._
   - _His knowledge has remarkable range, from physics to poetry._
4. A connected line or series of things, especially mountains or buildings.
   - Simple: A line or row of mountains or buildings.
   - _The hikers spent a week crossing the entire range._
   - _A snow-capped range rose sharply behind the small town._
5. The maximum distance over which a weapon, device, or signal can operate effectively, or that a vehicle can travel without refueling or recharging.
   - Simple: How far a weapon, machine, or vehicle can reach, work, or travel.
   - _The new rifle has an effective range of nearly a mile._
   - _Detectors with a longer range can spot aircraft sooner._
6. The distance between a person or sensor and an object, target, or event.
   - Simple: How far away something is from a person or a sensor.
   - _The radar reported the ship's range as twelve nautical miles._
   - _Hunters estimate range before taking a shot._
7. A fireplace or cooking apparatus; now specifically, a large cooking stove with many burners.
   - Simple: A large kitchen stove with several burners for cooking.
   - _He lit the range and started frying the onions._
   - _The old farmhouse kitchen still had a coal-fired range against the wall._
8. An area set aside for shooting practice, military training, or testing weapons and equipment.
   - Simple: A place where people practice shooting, or where the army trains and tests weapons.
   - _She fired a hundred rounds at the range before lunch._
   - _Safety officers supervise every range during practice._
9. The geographic area or zone where a species is normally found in nature.
   - Simple: The natural area where a kind of animal or plant normally lives.
   - _Conservationists work to protect the species across its entire range._
   - _The wolf's range once covered nearly the whole continent._
10. The full span of tones, from lowest to highest, that a voice or instrument can produce.
   - Simple: All the notes, from lowest to highest, that a voice or instrument can make.
   - _The young singer extended her range with daily practice._
   - _Few instruments match the piano in sheer range._
11. The difference between the largest and smallest values in a data sample.
   - Simple: The difference between the biggest and smallest numbers in a set of data.
   - _The range of the temperatures was eighteen degrees that week._
   - _A wide range suggests the measurements are spread far apart._
12. An area of open, often unfenced, land used for grazing livestock.
   - Simple: Open land where animals like cattle feed freely.
   - _The ranchers drove their herd out onto the range at dawn._
   - _Much of the western range remains unfenced to this day._
14. The set of all values that a function can produce as output.
   - Simple: All the values a math function can give as answers.
   - _For the squaring function, the range consists of all non-negative numbers._
   - _Students plotted the graph to determine the function's range._
15. The variety of roles an actor is able to play convincingly.
   - Simple: The different kinds of parts an actor can play well.
   - _Critics praised the lead's remarkable range across genres._
   - _Taking on the brutal villain stretched the actor's range._
16. An ordered series of values, as defined by an iterator, that a program can step through.
   - Simple: A list of numbers in order that a program counts through, one after another.
   - _The function returns a range that the loop iterates over._
   - _Programmers often build a range to generate sequential indices._
18. The defensive area on the field that a player can cover.
   - Simple: The area a player can reach to stop or catch the ball on defense.
   - _Scouts praised the infielder's range, noting how much ground he covered._
   - _A shortstop with limited range forces the team to shift on defense._

## Verb

2. To vary or extend between two limits, whether numbers, sizes or kinds; of a variable, to take any value within a given set.
   - Simple: To be anywhere between two limits, such as a lowest and highest amount or two different kinds.
   - _The measured temperatures range from minus ten to forty degrees Celsius._
   - _Ticket prices for the concert ranged from twenty to ninety dollars, depending on the seat._
13. To wander or roam freely over a wide area; to travel across or through a place.
   - Simple: To move around freely over a large area.
   - _Goats range freely along the rocky hillsides._
   - _Herds of bison once ranged across the entire prairie._
17. Of a species, to be native to or live within a particular district or region.
   - Simple: Of an animal or plant, to live naturally in a certain area.
   - _Wolves range across much of the northern hemisphere._
   - _Jaguars once ranged widely across the American Southwest._
19. To determine the distance to a target, especially for aiming.
   - Simple: To find out how far away a target is, usually before shooting.
   - _The crew ranged the enemy ship before opening fire._
   - _Before the long shot, the hunter stopped to range the elk with his laser and adjust his scope._
20. Of a fielder, to cover a long distance in order to make a defensive play.
   - Simple: Of a player, to run a long way to make a defensive play.
   - _The center fielder ranged deep into the gap to make the catch._
   - _Infielders who range well turn singles into outs._
21. To arrange people or things in a row or rows, or in a particular order or position.
   - Simple: To put people or things in a line or in order.
   - _The gardener ranged the seedlings in tidy rows._
   - _The shopkeeper liked to range dozens of glass jars on the shelves behind the counter, each one filled with a different spice._
22. To be drawn up or extend in a line or row.
   - Simple: To stand, stretch, or be lined up in a row.
   - _The mountains range from north to south across the region._
   - _Spectators ranged along both sides of the road._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To classify or rank things; to be placed in a class or rank among others.
- (noun) An aggregate of individuals of the same rank or degree; an order or class.
- (noun) An act of wandering or roving about; an excursion or ramble.
- (noun) One of the crosspieces of a ladder.
- (noun) A fine sieve for separating flour from bran.
- (noun) Under the US federal land survey, a north-to-south band of six-mile-square townships, counted east or west from a principal meridian.
- (verb) To dominate something or bring it under control.
- (verb) To set someone or something in a particular position relative to another, especially on the opposing side.
- (verb) To sail or otherwise move along, parallel to, or close beside something, such as a coast.

## Origin

Proto-Germanic *hringaz ("ring, circle, curve") passed through Frankish into Old French as the noun renc or reng ("a rank, row"). From that noun came the verb rengier ("to range, to rank, to order"), which became Middle English rengen. Ring is a doublet.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/range (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).