What does range mean?
Range is a versatile word used chiefly as a noun to denote a span, extent, collection, or category. Expressions such as “a wide range of” and “an age range” indicate variety or variation, while “mountain range” refers to a connected line of mountains or hills. “Price range” and “temperature range” identify the limits between which something may fall. As a verb, range can mean to vary, as in “prices range from ten to fifty pounds,” or to move, search, or extend across an area. The word can also mean “to speak broadly about,” as when a discussion ranges over several subjects. Its meanings ultimately connect the idea of an ordered row with the broader concepts of scope, extent, and movement. Range is therefore useful whenever one needs to discuss the limits, variety, territory, or movement of something. Although some senses are specialized, the noun is exceptionally common in general English.
A set, span, extent, or variety of related things; also a line of mountains or hills, or a cooking stove.
"The shop stocks a broad range of tools for both amateur and professional woodworkers."
The cooking-stove sense is especially common in North American English; “cooker” is more usual in modern British English.
To vary between limits, extend or move across an area, roam, search, or cover a range of subjects.
"The results range from modest improvements to dramatic changes."
“Range from” typically means to vary between limits. “Range over” may mean either to extend across an area or to travel, search, or discuss it broadly, depending on context.
When countable, range has the regular plural form ranges, as in “several price ranges” or “mountain ranges.” In expressions such as “a wide range of products,” it may be treated as singular or plural depending on the construction and the intended agreement.
"The survey results fall into three distinct age ranges."
One everyday word can name a mountain chain, a kitchen stove, a span of temperatures, and the act of searching a region.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does range come from?
The word entered Middle English from Old French range, meaning “row, rank, or line,” and is generally traced to a Frankish root associated with an ordered row or rank. Its early sense concerned rows and ranks; the modern meanings for a span, variety, mountain chain, and area developed by extension. English rank comes from the same Germanic ancestry, while arrange, arrangement, and ranger are also historically related forms.
Related word forms
How range is actually used
The noun is very common in formal and informal English. In British English, “range” as a cooking appliance is now less usual than “cooker,” while the older sense remains common in North American English. As a verb, “range from” expresses variation between limits, whereas “range over” can suggest traveling, searching, or surveying an area.
Easily confused with range
A range is a set, span, or area of possibilities or territory, whereas to arrange is to place things in a particular order or prepare them.