pasture

1 of 2

noun

pas·​ture ˈpas-chər 

1

: plants (such as grass) grown for the feeding especially of grazing animals

2

: land or a plot of land used for grazing

3

: the feeding of livestock : grazing

pasture

2 of 2

verb

pastured; pasturing

intransitive verb

: graze, browse

transitive verb

1

: to feed (animals, such as cattle) on pasture

2

: to use as pasture

Synonyms

Noun

• lea
• ley
• pasturage
• range

Verb

• browse
• forage
• graze
• rustle

Examples of pasture in a Sentence

Noun

The horses were grazing in the pasture.

Most of their land is pasture.

Verb

The horses are pastured on several acres of land.

pasturing sheep on town lands was actually a cheaper alternative to mowing

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Things haven't reached the point where pilots are being put out to pasture, but the military advantages of increasingly sophisticated autonomous aircraft are becoming more apparent as time passes. —David Szondy, New Atlas, 10 Mar. 2025

The mother of a Kansas woman found dead in a chest freezer buried in an Oklahoma cow pasture filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the five people charged in her murder, who include the grandmother of her daughters' children. —Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 5 Mar. 2025

Verb

Some wondered if this was simply Google's way of putting the decade-old device out to pasture. —Ryan Whitwam, Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025

Jimmi Simpson, in a rare recurring Western role, plays Solomon’s boss, Tom Simpson, a disgraced banker put out to pasture at the Tokyo branch. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pastura, from Latin pastus, past participle of pascere to feed — more at food

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing pasture

• put out to pasture

Rhymes for pasture

• goodpasture

Kids Definition

pasture

1 of 2 noun

pas·​ture ˈpas-chər 

1

: plants (as grass) for feeding especially grazing animals

2

: land or a plot of land used for grazing

pasture

2 of 2 verb

pastured; pasturing

1

: graze entry 1 sense 1

2

: to feed (as cattle) on pasture