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james range

B1
UK/reɪndʒ/US/reɪndʒ/

Formal, Informal, Technical

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Definition

Meaning

A variety or selection of things, or the extent over which something operates or varies.

A series of connected mountains, a large open area for grazing or military training, or a stove with an oven and burners. Also refers to the maximum distance a projectile or vehicle can travel, or the limits within which something is possible.

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

A polysemous word whose specific meaning is highly dependent on context. Core senses relate to 'extent' and 'variety'. Often used metaphorically.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

Slight preference in UK for 'range' meaning 'stove' (more commonly 'cooker' in UK, 'stove/range' in US). 'Mountain range' is universal. 'Shooting range' more common in US. The verb 'to range' (to roam) is more literary in both.

Connotations

In business contexts ('product range'), neutral in both. In geographical contexts ('mountain range'), neutral. In cooking ('kitchen range'), slightly dated/regional in UK, more standard appliance term in US.

Frequency

High frequency in both varieties across multiple domains (geography, business, statistics, military).

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong
wide rangebroad rangefull rangeprice rangemountain range
medium
age rangetemperature rangerange of optionsrange of productswithin range
weak
vast rangelimited rangeimpressive rangerange availableexpand the range

Grammar

Valency Patterns

range from X to Yrange between X and Yrange across + NOUNrange over + NOUNa range of + NOUN

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

scopegamutcompass

Neutral

varietyselectionarrayspectrum

Weak

assortmentcollectionset

Vocabulary

Antonyms

limitationnarrownessuniformitysingularity

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

  • “at close range”
  • “in/within range”
  • “out of range”
  • “range far and wide”

Usage

Context Usage

Business

Refers to a company's product line or service offerings (e.g., 'We offer a full range of financial services').

Academic

Used in statistics (range as a measure of dispersion), geography (mountain ranges), ecology (species' range).

Everyday

Common for discussing prices, choices, ages, or distances (e.g., 'The hotel caters to a wide age range').

Technical

In military/ballistics (firing range), electronics (signal range), cooking (kitchen range).

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

  • Prices range from £20 to £200.
  • His interests ranged widely across several subjects.
  • Deer ranged through the forest.

American English

  • Temperatures range between 50 and 80 degrees.
  • Her research ranges over many disciplines.
  • Cattle ranged freely over the plain.

adjective

British English

  • Range anxiety is a concern for electric vehicle owners.
  • They conducted range tests for the new aircraft.

American English

  • The range hood needs cleaning.
  • He's a range rider for the cattle ranch.

Examples

By CEFR Level

A2
  • The shop has a good range of toys.
  • The mountains are part of a large range.
  • My phone is out of range here.
B1
  • We discussed a wide range of topics.
  • The price range for flats in this area is quite high.
  • The rifle has a range of 500 metres.
B2
  • The company's product range has expanded significantly in recent years.
  • His emotions ranged from sheer joy to profound despair.
  • The lecture ranged across three centuries of artistic development.
C1
  • The geologist's expertise ranges far beyond his immediate specialism.
  • The new policy is designed to accommodate the full gamut of public opinion, ranging from staunch support to outright hostility.
  • The missiles have a range sufficient to strike targets across the continent.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think of a mountain RANGE: it stretches over a wide AREA, showing a great VARIETY of peaks.

Conceptual Metaphor

VARIETY IS A PHYSICAL SPACE/EXTENT (e.g., 'a wide range of opinions').

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

  • Avoid confusing with 'ряд' (which is more 'series/row'). 'Range' implies variety/extent. Don't translate 'range of mountains' as 'ряд гор' – use 'горная цепь' or 'горный хребет'. For 'price range', use 'диапазон цен' or 'вилка цен', not 'ряд цен'.

Common Mistakes

  • Incorrect: 'The range of the data is from 10.' Correct: 'The range of the data is from 10 to 50.' / Incorrect: 'He ranges from London.' Correct: 'His work ranges from London to Edinburgh.'

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap
The data showed values from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 95.
Multiple Choice

In which sentence is 'range' used CORRECTLY in a business context?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

'Range' often emphasises the extent or limits (from one end to another), while 'variety' emphasises the number of different types. 'A wide range of prices' focuses on the spread from low to high. 'A variety of prices' focuses on there being many different prices.

Yes, commonly. It means to vary between limits ('ages range from 5 to 12') or to roam over an area ('wolves range across the territory'). The verb is more formal/literary when meaning 'to roam'.

It is understood in both, but 'range' for a stove is more standard and current in American English. In British English, 'cooker' is more everyday, though 'range' (often 'AGA range') is used for larger, often classic-style stoves.

In statistics, the range is a measure of dispersion, calculated as the difference between the highest and lowest values in a dataset. It gives a quick sense of the spread of the data.