break ranks

1. Fall out of line or into disorder; also, fail to conform, deviate. For example, The recruits were warned that they must not break ranks, or Harry was told to adhere to the party platform and not break ranks. This idiom uses rank in the sense of “soldiers drawn up in line,” and the term originally referred to their falling into disarray. The figurative usage dates from the mid-1800s.

Example Sentences

But even if they do break ranks, the House Speaker could still get the bill over the line with the help of moderate Democrats, such as Jared Golden of Maine or Henry Cuellar of Texas.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., continues to break ranks with her party to put the blame for the government shutdown on the GOP, even as a political rival says it is all for show.

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The far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., continued to break ranks in the Republican Party on Thursday, saying she “blames” the GOP’s congressional leadership for the government shutdown, accusing it of “ignoring” the rising costs of health insurance and refusing to hold a vote on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

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There were no new defections during the vote on Wednesday, but if five more Democrats break ranks, the shutdown will end – whether the rest of the Democratic Party wants it to or not.

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They’re “mavericks,” “outsiders,” principled conservatives who are willing to break ranks to stand up for what’s right.

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