rank

¹

[ rangk ]

noun

1. a number of persons forming a separate class in a social hierarchy or in any graded body.
2. a social or official position or standing, as in the armed forces:

   the rank of captain.

3. high position or station in the social or some similar scale:

   a woman of rank.

   Synonyms: dignity, eminence, distinction

4. a class in any scale of comparison.
5. relative position or standing:

   a writer of the first rank.

6. a row, line, or series of things or persons:

   orchestra players arranged in ranks.

   Synonyms: tier, range

7. ranks,
   1. the members of an armed service apart from its officers; enlisted personnel.
   2. military enlisted personnel as a group.
8. Usually ranks. the general body of any party, society, or organization apart from the officers or leaders.
9. orderly arrangement; array.

   Synonyms: series, disposition

10. a line of persons, especially soldiers, standing abreast in close-order formation ( file ).
11. British. a place or station occupied by vehicles available for hire; stand:

    a taxi rank.

12. Chess, Checkers. one of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard or checkerboard.
13. a set of organ pipes of the same kind and tonal color.
14. Also called determinant rank. Mathematics. the order of the nonzero determinant of greatest order that can be selected from a given matrix by the elimination of rows and columns.
15. Mining. the classification of coal according to hardness, from lignite to anthracite.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in ranks or in regular formation:

   The men were ranked according to height. He ranked the chess pieces on the board.

   Synonyms: array, range, align

2. to assign to a particular position, station, class, etc.:

   She was ranked among the most admired citizens.

3. to outrank:

   The colonel ranks all other officers in the squadron.

4. Slang. to insult; criticize.

verb (used without object)

1. to form a rank or ranks.
2. to take up or occupy a place in a particular rank, class, etc.:

   to rank well ahead of the other students.

3. to have rank or standing.
4. to be the senior in rank:

   The colonel ranks at this camp.

5. Slang. to complain.

rank

²

[ rangk ]

adjective

, rank·er, rank·est.

1. growing with excessive luxuriance; vigorous and tall of growth:

   tall rank weeds.

   Synonyms: exuberant, abundant

2. producing an excessive and coarse growth, as land.
3. having an offensively strong smell or taste:

   a rank cigar.

4. offensively strong, as a smell or taste.
5. utter; absolute:

   a rank amateur; rank treachery.

   Synonyms: entire, sheer, complete

6. highly offensive; disgusting:

   a rank sight of carnage.

   Synonyms: repellent, repulsive

7. grossly coarse, vulgar, or indecent:

   rank language.

   Synonyms: foul

8. Slang. inferior; contemptible.

Rank

³

[ rahngk ]

noun

1. Ot·to [awt, -oh], 1884–1939, Austrian psychoanalyst.

rank

¹

/ ræŋk /

adjective

1. showing vigorous and profuse growth

   rank weeds

2. highly offensive or disagreeable, esp in smell or taste
3. prenominal complete or absolute; utter

   a rank outsider

4. coarse or vulgar; gross

   his language was rank

Rank

²

noun

1. ræŋk RankJ(oseph) Arthur, 1st Baron18881972MBritishBUSINESS: industrialistFILMS AND TV: executive J ( oseph ) Arthur , 1st Baron. 1888–1972, British industrialist and film executive, whose companies dominated the British film industry in the 1940s and 1950s
2. raŋk RankOtto18841939MAustrianMEDICINE: psychoanalyst Otto (ˈɔto). 1884–1939, Austrian psychoanalyst, noted for his theory that the trauma of birth may be reflected in certain forms of mental illness

rank

³

/ ræŋk /

noun

1. a position, esp an official one, within a social organization, esp the armed forces

   the rank of captain

2. high social or other standing; status
3. a line or row of people or things
4. the position of an item in any ordering or sequence
5. a place where taxis wait to be hired
6. a line of soldiers drawn up abreast of each other Compare file 1
7. any of the eight horizontal rows of squares on a chessboard
8. (in systemic grammar) one of the units of description of which a grammar is composed. Ranks of English grammar are sentence, clause, group, word, and morpheme
9. music a set of organ pipes controlled by the same stop
10. maths (of a matrix) the largest number of linearly independent rows or columns; the number of rows (or columns) of the nonzero determinant of greatest order that can be extracted from the matrix
11. break ranks
    military to fall out of line, esp when under attack
12. close ranks
    to maintain discipline or solidarity, esp in anticipation of attack
13. pull rank
    to get one's own way by virtue of one's superior position or rank

verb

1. tr to arrange (people or things) in rows or lines; range
2. to accord or be accorded a specific position in an organization, society, or group
3. tr to array (a set of objects) as a sequence, esp in terms of the natural arithmetic ordering of some measure of the elements

   to rank students by their test scores

4. intr to be important; rate

   money ranks low in her order of priorities

5. to take precedence or surpass in rank

   the colonel ranks at this camp

Derived Forms

• ˈrankly, adverb
• ˈrankness, noun

Other Words From

• rankless adjective
• un·ranked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rank¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from French ranc (noun, obsolete), Old French renc, ranc, rang “row, line,” from Germanic, akin to ring ¹

Origin of rank²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ranc “bold, proud, mature, showy”; cognate with Old Norse rakkr “slender, straight, bold”; the original Germanic sense was probably “upright”; the development of the meanings in English is uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of rank¹

Old English ranc straight, noble; related to Old Norse rakkr upright, Dutch, Swedish rank tall and thin, weak

Origin of rank²

C16: from Old French ranc row, rank, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German hring circle

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. break ranks,
   1. to leave an assigned position in a military formation.
   2. to disagree with, defect from, or refuse to support one's colleagues, party, or the like.
2. pull rank (on), to make use of one's superior rank to gain an advantage over (someone). Also pull one's rank (on).

More idioms and phrases containing rank

In addition to the idiom beginning with rank , also see break ranks ; close ranks ; pull rank ; rise through the ranks .

Synonym Study

See flagrant.

Example Sentences

Absolutely: “Courage I would rank now in the hierarchy of art and love.”

From The Daily Beast

Neary had held the rank of lieutenant since 1983 and received multiple commendations during nearly four decades on the job.

From The Daily Beast

Only five African-American females hold a rank higher than GS-14 within the Secret Service.

From The Daily Beast

Asked what kind of support he got from rank-and-file Democrats, he paused before replying with a hearty laugh.

From The Daily Beast

I was of extremely low rank, a Senior Aircraftman – only one rung above the bottom.

From The Daily Beast

He distinguished himself in several campaigns, especially in the Peninsular war, and was raised to the rank of field marshal.

From Project Gutenberg

The high rank, the great riches of his father he rather implied than definitely mentioned.

From Project Gutenberg

As each company front formed the knees of the rank and file seemed to give way.

From Project Gutenberg

It was commenced in 1883, from a philanthropic feeling, but must rank among trade societies as much as many others.

From Project Gutenberg

If Wee Willie Winkie took an interest in anyone, the fortunate man was envied alike by the mess and the rank and file.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• establish
• estimate
• include
• list
• put
• rate
• regard