pull rank

Idioms

Use one's higher status to compel obedience or obtain privileges, as in She hated pulling rank in the office, but sometimes it was necessary. This term comes from the military. [c. 1920]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Here, even the Bravo nepo babies don’t try to pull rank.

From Salon • Aug. 2, 2025

“Hinrich is one of my all-time favorite players, so I may have to see if I can pull rank and get in there and buy it before anyone else,” Lochmann joked.

From Washington Times • Jul. 22, 2021

When practically everyone is their own curator and critic, it’s laughable to use that status to pull rank, as the figures played by John Cusack and Jack Black do with such obnoxious gusto.

From Slate • Feb. 25, 2020

On site, fans applauded Young's decision to pull rank in order to make an environmental point.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2019

I'd never known Miller to pull rank on any of the bunch.

From Stamped Caution by Gallun, Raymond Z.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023