an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
"a piano has a greater range than the human voice"
"the ambit of municipal legislation"
"within the compass of this article"
"within the scope of an investigation"
"outside the reach of the law"
"in the political orbit of a world power"
a large tract of grassy open land on which livestock can graze
"they used to drive the cattle across the open range every spring"
"he dreamed of a home on the range"
a series of hills or mountains
"the valley was between two ranges of hills"
"the plains lay just beyond the mountain range"
a place for shooting (firing or driving) projectiles of various kinds
"the army maintains a missile range in the desert"
"any good golf club will have a range where you can practice"
a variety of different things or activities
"he answered a range of questions"
"he was impressed by the range and diversity of the collection"
(mathematics) the set of values of the dependent variable for which a function is defined
"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"
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
"dinner was already on the stove"
A line or series of mountains, buildings, etc.
"The jagged range of mountains dominated the horizon as we drove toward the valley."
In plain English: A range is the difference between the highest and lowest values in a set of numbers.
"The price range for these apartments is quite high."
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
"The gypsies roamed the woods"
"roving vagabonds"
"the wandering Jew"
"The cattle roam across the prairie"
"the laborers drift from one town to the next"
"They rolled from town to town"
have a range; be capable of projecting over a certain distance, as of a gun
"This gun ranges over two miles"
To travel over (an area, etc); to roam, wander.
"The wild horses ranged freely across the vast plains in search of fresh grass."
In plain English: To range means to move back and forth within a certain area or group.
"The menu ranges from cheap burgers to fancy steaks."
Usage: Use this verb when describing animals or people moving freely across an open area rather than staying in one place. It implies covering distance without necessarily following a specific path.
The word range comes from Old French words meaning "to arrange in a row," which ultimately trace back to the Germanic root for "circle" or "ring." While it shares an ancient origin with the modern English word ring, its specific sense of ordering things linearly developed separately before entering Middle English.