1The area of variation between upper and lower limits on a particular scale.

1. 1.1The scope of a person's knowledge or abilities.
   ‘in this film he gave some indication of his range’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Few scientists can match the range, depth and scope of his biodiversity knowledge.’
   • ‘Since then, she has gained a vast range of knowledge in all things equine.’
   • ‘The play shows her range and ability as a serious actor.’
   • ‘In range and scope and significance we are not likely to see another like her.’
   • ‘‘My experience suggests that the ranges and medians of scientific intelligence and ability are comparable in men and women,’ he says.’
   • ‘The acting also showed that the cast has range beyond their usual witty quips and fight scenes.’
   • ‘Like most artists he has had to learn his craft, extend his range and gradually arrive at a mature understanding of his own gifts.’
   • ‘Both started out with a narrowly defined fictional territory, and both have tried to extend their range.’
   • ‘By doing these films back-to-back, Spielberg emphasizes his range as a director.’
   Synonyms

   scope, range, latitude, liberty, licence, freedom, indulgence, free rein, release

   View synonyms
2. 1.2The compass of a person's voice or a musical instrument.
   ‘she was gifted with an incredible vocal range’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The source of this parallel intoning of liturgical melody may be traced to the natural range of the human voice.’
   • ‘For the most part, the vocal ranges are narrow and would be suitable for all voice parts.’
   • ‘He has what is possibly one of the best male voices and ranges in the pop music world at the moment.’
   • ‘They should perform a song that best shows their range of voice and must bring sheet music or their own backing track.’
   • ‘It's scored for four tenors and two basses - which confines the vocal range of the work to a mere two octaves.’
   • ‘It is agile yet able to be easily heard over the entire orchestra, with secure pitch and an incredible range.’
   • ‘All of her songs lacked harmonies in the higher voice ranges, and I spent much of the concert wondering why anyone ever really played these songs on the radio in the first place.’
   • ‘The majority of the tunes have a range of one octave plus an extension of a third or a fourth.’
   • ‘She opened on acoustic guitar with a beautiful ballad, showing the full range of her warm voice.’
   • ‘Benny and Bjorn were amazing songwriters and the girls had wonderful voices with great ranges.’
   • ‘Its musical range spans about four octaves, and the sound has some similarities to that of a Western violin.’
   • ‘Her deep, powerful voice has quite a range and she knows how to sell a song.’
   • ‘The best singers started their song at a low pitch to suit the range with which their voices are able to cope, and did not try songs which required them to reach high notes.’
   • ‘Her voice is attractive and even throughout its range, and she has tremendous agility and control.’
   • ‘The last movement is a brilliant virtuoso movement that uses the whole range of the keyboard.’
   • ‘Her voice has a tremendous range, yet never managed to coincide with the note she was trying to hit.’
   • ‘He does a superb job of showing off his vocal range as well as the softer side of his voice.’
   • ‘She has a good vocal range, but her voice lacks passion and has a nasal quality that grates after a while.’
   • ‘Moreover, the range of these scores almost always exceeds that of the pianist's hand.’
   • ‘The range of your voice and the emotion you can express is really astounding.’
3. 1.3The period of time covered by something such as a forecast.
   ‘The economy had reached a turning point, and during the forecast's range, it would end up in an economic recovery phase.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The accuracy of the method varies within reasonable limits depending on the time range of the forecast for different conditions.’
4. 1.4The area covered by or included in something.
   ‘a guide to the range of debate this issue has generated’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The range of discourse and debate in news media, though woefully constricted, is still meaningful.’
   • ‘He takes pains to limit the range and reach of his case against censorship.’
   • ‘Between them, these two stories give an indication of the range in which his creative genius worked.’
   • ‘Some doctors seek to widen their professional remit to cover the entire range of human experience.’
   • ‘Many of these changes take a long time to complete and may never cover the entire range of a ‘language’.’
   • ‘The range of Walker's mathematical research was quite impressive.’
   • ‘If she appears restless today, it's because the 44-year-old is on a mission to extend the range of work she takes on.’
5. 1.5Mathematics The set of values that a given function can take as its argument varies.
   ‘The graph window automatically sizes itself to fit the ranges of values of x and f that occur.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The following commands are useful in understanding the ranges of values of p for which a given strategy is best.’
   • ‘You also have to assign the core terms numerical values or ranges.’
   • ‘We ran multiple simulations of the model using parameter values sampled randomly from ranges defined by available information.’
   • ‘It varies in a rather simple way with the length of the sequence of primes in the selected range of whole numbers.’

2A set of different things of the same general type.

3The distance within which a person can see or hear.

1. 3.1The maximum distance to which a gun will shoot or over which a missile will travel.
   ‘these rockets have a range of 30 to 40 miles’
   More example sentences

   • ‘a duck came within range’
   • ‘The maximum range of those rockets was just over five miles.’
   • ‘Correspondents say this is a substantial addition to the previously announced range of the country's missiles.’
   • ‘The minimum and maximum ranges of the missile are 5km and 130 km.’
   • ‘The test of what is believed to have been a short-range missile took place Sunday.’
   • ‘This second generation missile improved both range and reaction time.’
   • ‘Ten percent of the facilities are within the range of non-strategic ballistic missiles.’
   • ‘The maximum effective range of the main tank gun is less than two miles.’
   • ‘The maximum range of a long bow was 400 metres but at this distance, it was far less effective.’
   • ‘The ammunition used will also affect the maximum range.’
   • ‘The rate of fire was below average, but it had very good range and each shot was quite powerful.’
   • ‘The missile has a range of 700 km.’
   • ‘The missile has a range of 27 km with an effective ceiling of 15 km, the sources said.’
   • ‘They were developing ground-to-ground missiles with a range of thousands of kilometres.’
   • ‘No further details, including the range of the missile's new version, were provided.’
   • ‘It was therefore within the two kilometre range of these rockets.’
   • ‘He was too far out of range for the shots to be effective.’
   • ‘It seemed only moments before the natives withdrew to just outside rifle shot range.’
   • ‘The drop-ship was now in range of the missile and began to lower for the cruiser.’
   • ‘Recovered guns and cannons had ranges of up to a mile.’
2. 3.2The maximum distance at which a radio transmission can be effectively received.
   ‘planets within radio range of Earth’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Look for us calling in once we get back into radio range in a few days.’
   • ‘Often truck convoys and support units were out of range of each other's radios.’
   • ‘He was almost in radio range, but he decided to take a break at the Hangman's Pit.’
   • ‘Sometimes two different logging roads are close enough to be within radio range.’
   • ‘Range drops with battery power too, so you might go past the edge of radio range without expecting to.’
   • ‘About 60 per cent of Europe's population already lives within range of a mobile phone transmitter.’
   • ‘Sligo Community Radio has a transmission range of approximately 17 miles radius of Sligo town.’
   • ‘This is an impressive range for a VHF radio network, and is remarkable technology.’
   • ‘The receiving range is determined largely by site noise and interference factors.’
   • ‘You will also need to activate the infrared service on the telephone and place it within range of the receiver on the Notebook.’
   • ‘The coastguard remains unaware of their plight because the boat radio has a working range of 6ft.’
   • ‘Wi-Fi's strength as a broadband access technology has always been offset by its poor range.’
   • ‘Each system has a base unit which enables you to page the handset of a user, so long as they are in range.’
   • ‘They were able to bounce radio waves off an aircraft out to a range of seven miles.’
3. 3.3The distance that can be covered by a vehicle or aircraft without refuelling.
   ‘the vans have a range of 125 miles’
   More example sentences

   • ‘They warned that by 1948 increased enemy aircraft ranges would permit the extension of these attacks.’
   • ‘The vehicle has a range of 214 miles with a maximum speed of 40mph.’
   • ‘The truck's range is great, with the fuel light coming on at around 360 miles.’
   • ‘This prototype car has a range of 500 kilometers.’
   • ‘As any pilot knows, flying trips to the limits of an airplane's range requires precise calculations.’
   • ‘The Gazelle could carry a maximum of four people, and had a top speed of 168 knots with a range of 300 nautical miles.’
   • ‘The new lifeboat will have a range of 250 nautical miles and will carry a crew of six.’
   • ‘Triton has a top speed of 20 knots and a maximum range of 3000 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots.’
   • ‘The more limited range of electric vehicles is less problematic when most trips are within the urban area.’
4. 3.4The distance between a camera and the subject to be photographed.
   ‘handheld shots taken at extreme telephoto ranges can be pretty wobbly affairs’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Matters are not helped by the fact that the cameras have a range of only 20 yards.’
   • ‘Its cameras tend to have the highest optical zoom ranges.’
   • ‘Don't go past the camera's optical zoom range, or you'll be sorry!’
   • ‘Characters are shot at longer range, and with a less intimate, less confrontational lens.’
   • ‘I was almost in range for the shot I wanted when my over-enthusiastic buddy stormed in above me and scared the fish away.’
   • ‘I tried a few photos just for the record, but at 500m range it wasn't that great.’

4A line or series of mountains or hills.

1. 4.1rangesAustralian, New Zealand Mountainous or hilly country.
   ‘no one would know if he had survived to live out his life in the ranges back from the river country’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Toward central Australia, the land rises more steeply into a higher plateau and rocky ranges, where a number of peaks exceed 1500 m elevation.’
   • ‘Because walkers can enter and exit the track at numerous locations, including the many gaps and gorges along the ranges, it isn't necessary to complete the whole walk to experience the trail's magic.’
   • ‘Railways made it possible for people living in the ranges to attend race meetings in nearby towns, visit a nearby doctor or a hospital or even make a trip to Port Augusta or Adelaide.’
   • ‘The ride in the six-wheel drive vehicle high into the ranges is an exhilarating experience and great fun.’
   • ‘Our economy is dependant on the tourists and the tourists want to see the landscape, the ranges and the mountains.’

5A large area of open land for grazing or hunting.

1. 5.1An area of land or sea used as a testing ground for military equipment.
   ‘the cost of dealing with unexploded shells and bombs on former military ranges’
   More example sentences

   • ‘A Tory MP has demanded an urgent inquiry after a leaked document revealed radioactive materials were tested at Shoebury's military ranges in the 1940s and 1950s.’
   • ‘All the U.S. military services use the range at one time or another for a variety of training needs.’
   • ‘The U.S. military left firing ranges in the Panama Canal Zone littered with thousands of unexploded rounds.’
   • ‘At many U.S. military target ranges, petroleum products and heavy metals used in bombs and bullets contaminate the soil and groundwater.’
   • ‘Although tungsten bullets are more expensive to manufacture, it is believed that the extra cost will be more than saved in cleanup costs for Army training and testing ranges.’
   • ‘Commanders have finite time, money, fuel, ammunition, and access to ranges and training areas needed to train units.’
   • ‘In their civilian jobs, they work for a contractor clearing weapons ranges of unexploded munitions.’
   • ‘The experiment has been carried out since July on the vast military firing range at Dundrennan.’
   • ‘Soldiers can still take care of firing ranges and training areas, but the rest can be farmed out.’
   • ‘Scattered on ranges throughout the desert in the U.S. Central Command region for the past two weeks, the Marines refined their battle skills at the small unit level.’
   • ‘Both on the ranges and in the classroom, the Special Forces Soldiers learned from the Service Rifle Team how to read and correct for the wind, range estimation and reading the mirage.’
   • ‘To this day locals need permission to go to the missile test range.’
   • ‘The Defence Minister said that there was no movement of missile components to the test range.’
   • ‘Poland, for example, has large training grounds and ranges not subject to the civilian encroachment or heavy regulations that have bedeviled U.S. forces in Germany.’
   • ‘In Arizona, a large bombing and aerial gunnery range was located between Yuma and Gila Bend.’
   • ‘They awoke from a short nap and upon hearing dull thuds, attributed the noise to a nearby naval gunnery range.’
   • ‘Sentries are posted well before any serial start time to ensure there are no members of the public on the range.’
   • ‘A range was opened near Le Havre on the Normandy coast to test long-range guns, and more workshops were built nearby.’
   • ‘The days of sitting in a prepared foxhole on a range and shooting targets at known distances is over.’
2. 5.2An open or enclosed area with targets for shooting practice.
   ‘he went down to the ranges to practise shooting’
   More example sentences

   • ‘I want to buy a shotgun and start going to the range.’
   • ‘This person has the title of ‘Field Captain’ and controls the shooting on the range.’
   • ‘The gun club has some of the best target ranges in the world but has been forced to use a wartime prefab as an office and clubhouse.’
   • ‘He had once gone down to the practice ranges to mock her archery skills when she'd first begun to learn.’
   • ‘Belt holsters worn on the range for practice are easy to access, but there is often a lack of concealment or security.’
   • ‘Nathan was sitting and thinking over a cup of tea, while Sean was blasting targets in the range.’
   • ‘None of these tiny revolvers are going to win medals at the target range.’
   • ‘He was at the archery range.’
   • ‘The wind is ripping away at the netting that covers the range, making sure unshot clays don't smash into us.’
   • ‘Three new target greens have been added to the range, which is covered so that players can practice in all weathers.’
   • ‘They allow the student to hear range commands over the gunfire of other students.’
   • ‘Their benefit is that we can carry on a normal conversation or hear range commands but still preserve our hearing.’
   • ‘However, time spent on known distance ranges will give the individual shooter an understanding of where his shots fly, something ignored by most until now.’
   • ‘I took a good buddy of mine to the local range to shoot my new Smith & Wesson revolver.’
   • ‘Learn the mechanics of one-hand shooting, and do a few drills when range time permits.’
   • ‘Shooters are taking these fine old guns out to the range for a shot or two just to try to absorb a little of the gun's history.’
   • ‘He was out on the firing range and after 275 shots at the target, he hadn't hit it.’
   • ‘Every gun was proof tested and sent to the range for at least a dozen rounds of tuning before being sent out.’
   • ‘Reliability in the field or on the range can be improved by maintaining a clean shotgun.’
   • ‘Too often these days, I see shooters at the range practicing with their hunting rifles from a bench rest.’
3. 5.3The area over which a plant or animal is distributed.
   ‘the chimpanzee extensively overlaps the gorilla in its forest range’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The pine barrens of New Jersey is the northernmost range of 109 southern plant species.’
   • ‘Another option is to look at creating corridors between protected lands as a way of expanding the animals' ranges.’
   • ‘These routes used by migratory birds for passage between wintering and breeding ranges are called flyways.’
   • ‘Most populations of White-throated Sparrows are migratory, although there is some overlap of breeding and wintering ranges.’
   • ‘They leave northern breeding areas for winter ranges farther south or at lower elevations.’
   • ‘Washington is at the extreme northern edge of the breeding range of the Acorn Woodpecker.’
   • ‘As a result, their breeding ranges have spread until several of them overlap.’
   • ‘They do shift and adapt their breeding range to take advantage of new habitat.’
   • ‘Why the natural ranges of plants differ and what has led each species to its current distribution pattern have always been focal questions in biogeography.’
   • ‘All populations of Lincoln's Sparrows are migratory, although some summer and winter ranges overlap in New Mexico and Northern California.’
   • ‘Most Spruce Grouse do not migrate, but some do move short distances between separate summer and winter ranges.’
   • ‘There are 16 subspecies whose range spreads from India as far as southern China and the Philippines.’
   • ‘On both sides of the mountains, the winter range varies with food sources.’
   • ‘A glance at a thrush distribution map reveals that summer range extends as far north as the birch scrub zone on the Kola peninsular.’
   • ‘Panda range once extended from eastern and southern China into North Vietnam and Myanmar.’
   • ‘With the clearing of forests and the spread of farming, the cowbird's range expanded north and east.’
   • ‘Males are found in the northern end of the range and migrate south for breeding.’
   • ‘There are currently thought to be 19 species, their range extending from France to the Caucasus.’
   • ‘Its range extends from Portugal to China, with the largest numbers found in Spain and Russia.’
   • ‘With dying lawns in the south and new plants extending their ranges northwards it sounds as though our gardens will be looking rather different in years to come.’

6A large cooking stove with burners or hotplates and one or more ovens, all of which are kept continually hot.

1. 6.1North American An electric or gas cooker.
   ‘They use much less energy than electric ranges.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘With both types of electric ranges, the dials on the back can be in the way when you try to put a very large pot on a rear burner.’
   • ‘During the Depression in 1931 the company began manufacturing the well-known Atlas electric ranges.’
   • ‘If you are a chef who wants gas burners and an electric oven, dual ranges are available, but they are expensive.’
   • ‘He keeps the larger condiments such as cooking oil and vinegars in a wall cabinet opposite the cooking range.’
   • ‘Then we had to furnish the house, picking out sofas, kitchen ranges, and iceboxes, the likes of which we saw only in the houses of our city cousins.’
   • ‘Electric ranges and cooktops are slower to heat and cool than gas ones.’

7A row of buildings.

1. 7.1A continuous stretch of a building.
   ‘A second parallel range, on the north side, was added a little later in brick, creating a central courtyard.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘Restoration work on the hall and south range began in June last year.’
   • ‘The south range, with a prospect over the sea, was probably the principal residence, though now inaccessible to archaeology.’

8 archaic mass noun The direction or position in which something lies.

1no object, with adverbial Vary or extend between specified limits.

2with object and adverbial Place or arrange in a row or rows or in a specified manner.

1. 2.1no object, with adverbial of direction Run or extend in a line in a particular direction.
   ‘he regularly came to the benches that ranged along the path’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The lines of people ranged all the way down the long hallway.’
   • ‘Mellow lights appeared in the old white villas ranged along the beach.’
   • ‘A curvy center corridor links the public rooms that range along Apollon Deck.’
   • ‘Generally, stinging mechanisms found around the mouth parts of marine creatures are used offensively, while stinging parts ranged along the back and tail are defensive in origin.’
   • ‘The buildings, ranged along a street, are simple stone structures with only one room.’
   • ‘Time to stop a moment here, maybe, and reflect that you are who you are only in relation to the people ranged around you.’
   Synonyms

   extend, stretch, reach, range, continue, go

   View synonyms
2. 2.2British Printing (with reference to type) align or be aligned, especially at the ends of successive lines.
   ‘The type, ranged left, is aligned to the right of this axis.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘With columns this narrow, it is better to range the type left.’
   • ‘The all-lowercase type is ranged both left and right on the vertical axis.’

3range someone against or be ranged againstBritish Place oneself or be placed in opposition to (a person or group)

4no object, with adverbial of direction (of a person or animal) travel or wander over a wide area.

1. 4.1(of a person's eyes) pass from one person or thing to another.
   ‘his eyes ranged over them’
   More example sentences

   • ‘She noticed his eyes ranging over her body.’
   • ‘He let his eyes range freely up and down her body, lingering particularly on her legs.’
   • ‘My eyes range over the familiar faces and I receive nods and smiles from every direction.’
   • ‘A group of people are outside - but before my eyes can range over their faces, one of them steps forwards.’
   • ‘The supervisor was often located above the workshop floor, sometimes with a small porthole window to allow his eyes to range over his charges.’
2. 4.2(of something written or spoken) cover a wide number of different topics.
   ‘tutorials ranged over a variety of subjects’
   More example sentences

   • ‘After the meal, they had sat in the front room and the conversation had ranged over a wide variety of topics.’
   • ‘The discussions ranged over a wide variety of subjects, but it was the philosophy of medicine that attracted the largest numbers.’
   • ‘Our discussion ranged over a huge array of topics.’
   • ‘The hour's conversation ranged over a number of political persons and topics, culminating in the statement, ‘Peggy, never trust a man.’’
   • ‘In his wide ranging address, the chairman ranged over the activities of 2003.’
   • ‘She meandered through an interminable speech ranging through topics from sick children and warfare to the superficiality of film.’
   • ‘As we walked, the conversation ranged over ground provisions and market life, and then as we passed through steep fields of bushes with shiny, crinkled, dark green leaves, it turned to coffee.’
   • ‘His four books, which ranged over local lore, geology and topography, became standard reading for lovers of the Lake District.’
   • ‘Many of the lecturers ranged over very broad canvases.’
   • ‘The discussion has ranged over a number of subjects and viewpoints.’
   • ‘As usual, the conversation at the Sunday lunch table ranged over a variety of disparate subjects.’
   • ‘Also, the conversations with my workmates, which ranged over all areas of philosophy, science, religion and politics, were wonderful.’
   • ‘His writings were many and ranged over such subjects as diverse as slaty cleavage, metamorphic rocks, plutons, and Pleistocene glaciation in the Isle of Skye.’
   • ‘The debate ranged over many emotive ethical issues and in doing so lost sight of what was of benefit to the area as required by the statute.’
   • ‘His remarks were by no means limited to military matters, but ranged over every major issue of domestic and foreign policy.’
   • ‘This book, containing a large number of mostly short essays ranging over the entire breadth of the oeuvre, centers on the multiple roles of language within it.’

5no object Obtain the range of a target by adjustment after firing past it or short of it, or by the use of radar or laser equipment.

1. 5.1with adverbial (of a projectile) cover a specified distance.
   ‘Prithvi II is the air force version and Prithvi III the naval version of the missile ranging up to 250 and 750 km respectively.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The missiles are capable of ranging over 8000 meters.’
2. 5.2with adverbial (of a gun) send a projectile over a specified distance.
   ‘A 12" gun can range past 30000 yards.’
   More example sentences

   • ‘The gun can range to about 23km.’

(of a person or their lifestyle) orderly; settled.