front-rank

American  

[fruhnt-rangk] / ˈfrʌntˈræŋk /

adjective

1. among the best or most important; foremost; topnotch.

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Etymology

Origin of front-rank

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

Mandelson had his front-rank political career resurrected three times subsequently: as an EU commissioner; as business secretary and de facto deputy prime minister to Gordon Brown in 2009, and as ambassador to Washington in 2025.

From BBC

She had to be young so you could have lots of children, she had to be Protestant, she had to be a front-rank aristocrat, and she had to be a virgin.

From Salon

"She had to be young so you could have lots of children, she had to be Protestant, she had to be a front-rank aristocrat, and she had to be a virgin."

From Salon

And she also explained why the royal family was dead set on finding "a front-rank aristocrat" who also "had to be untouched and undefiled and pure and innocent," and how Diana's influence still remains so powerful decades after her untimely death.

From Salon

So far, Boris Johnson has not visited Wakefield, and I'm told front-rank government ministers tend to pop in briefly to gladhand the Conservative candidate, knock off an endorsement video and head back to Westminster.

From BBC

Related Words

• advantage
• edge
• margin
• point
• start
• supremacy
• top