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rancho

rancho

8.2
A small poor shelter made from scrap wood or metal
  • noun
  • /ˈrænʧoʊ/
  • US
translation icon : choza
  • The Correa family lives in a rancho located in a crowded neighborhood, where many families share similar conditions.

Examples

  • In the small rancho at the edge of the city, the community gathers to discuss their hopes and dreams.

  • The addition of the modern dance band dram was quite different from the tambora de rancho used by conjuntos prior to the 1930s.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The rancho housed a single family who either owned or rented the property.

    Academic text (1994)
  • As one of the last Indigenous survivors directly connected to the history of Spanish missionization, Mexican ranchos, and American Gold Rush atrocities (at times, she told Harrington, even carrying a pistol for her own protection while traveling in Monterey), 1

    Academic text (2016)
  • After walking through the dusty streets, we found a rancho that served as both a home and a place for neighbors to connect.

Synonyms

jacal
vsrancho
  • US
9.9

A small hut made of mud and sticks that people use for shelter in the southwestern United States and Mexico

is a poorer more makeshift dwelling often in shantytowns
tienda
vsrancho
  • US
9.4

A tent used for sleeping when camping

is a makeshift shack rather than a temporary tent

How Permanent

house
1.0
rancho
  • US
8.2
hut
217 1.0
lean-to
6 6.7

Surface Forms

rancho singular
ranchos plural

Etymology

Rancho came to be used in some Latin American areas for a poor or makeshift house built from scrap materials. Think of a quick, small shelter, and that helps explain why rancho can mean a 'shack'.