rank
1a number of persons forming a separate class in a social hierarchy or in any graded body.
a social or official position or standing, as in the armed forces: the rank of captain.
high position or station in the social or some similar scale: a woman of rank.
a class in any scale of comparison.
relative position or standing: a writer of the first rank.
a row, line, or series of things or persons: orchestra players arranged in ranks.
ranks,
the members of an armed service apart from its officers; enlisted personnel.
military enlisted personnel as a group.
Usually ranks . the general body of any party, society, or organization apart from the officers or leaders.
orderly arrangement; array.
a line of persons, especially soldiers, standing abreast in close-order formation (distinguished from file).
British. a place or station occupied by vehicles available for hire; stand: a taxi rank.
Chess, Checkers. one of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard or checkerboard.
a set of organ pipes of the same kind and tonal color.
Also called determinant 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.
Mining. the classification of coal according to hardness, from lignite to anthracite.
to arrange in ranks or in regular formation: The men were ranked according to height. He ranked the chess pieces on the board.
to assign to a particular position, station, class, etc.: She was ranked among the most admired citizens.
to outrank: The colonel ranks all other officers in the squadron.
Slang. to insult; criticize.
to form a rank or ranks.
to take up or occupy a place in a particular rank, class, etc.: to rank well ahead of the other students.
to have rank or standing.
to be the senior in rank: The colonel ranks at this camp.
Slang. to complain.
Idioms about rank
break ranks,
to leave an assigned position in a military formation.
to disagree with, defect from, or refuse to support one's colleagues, party, or the like.
pull rank (on), to make use of one's superior rank to gain an advantage over (someone).: Also pull one's rank (on).
Origin of rank
1Other words for rank
Other words from rank
- rankless, adjective
- un·ranked, adjective
Words Nearby rank
Other definitions for rank (2 of 3)
growing with excessive luxuriance; vigorous and tall of growth: tall rank weeds.
producing an excessive and coarse growth, as land.
having an offensively strong smell or taste: a rank cigar.
offensively strong, as a smell or taste.
utter; absolute: a rank amateur; rank treachery.
highly offensive; disgusting: a rank sight of carnage.
grossly coarse, vulgar, or indecent: rank language.
Slang. inferior; contemptible.
Origin of rank
2synonym study For rank
Other words for rank
Other words from rank
- rankish, adjective
- rankly, adverb
- rankness, noun
Other definitions for Rank (3 of 3)
Ot·to [awt-oh], /ˈɔt oʊ/, 1884–1939, Austrian psychoanalyst.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use rank in a sentence
As of the time of this writing, the Core Web Vitals seems to be the most important ranking news to come out in 2020 in practical terms.
Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP? | Aleh Barysevich | September 16, 2020 | Search Engine WatchThe post Keywords in generic top-level domains won’t help you rank better appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Keywords in generic top-level domains won’t help you rank better | George Nguyen | September 15, 2020 | Search Engine LandMost have very little weight in SEO and are often used as tie-breakers rather than ranking signals.
8 major Google ranking factors — SEO guide | Sponsored Content: SEO PowerSuite | September 15, 2020 | Search Engine LandEven 13 million climate migrants, though, would rank as the largest migration in North American history.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration | by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut | September 15, 2020 | ProPublicaMeredith — publisher of Better Homes & Gardens, Allrecipes and Southern Living — is ranked number two on License Global’s list, just behind The Walt Disney Company.
‘Finding their sweet spot’: How publishers are quickly becoming large global licensors | Kayleigh Barber | September 14, 2020 | Digiday
Absolutely: “Courage I would rank now in the hierarchy of art and love.”
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness | Ronald K. Fried | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNeary had held the rank of lieutenant since 1983 and received multiple commendations during nearly four decades on the job.
The Mystery Death Of A Female Firefighter | Christopher Moraff | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOnly five African-American females hold a rank higher than GS-14 within the Secret Service.
It’s Not Just the Cops—Racism Is a Problem for the Secret Service, Too | Bill Conroy | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAsked what kind of support he got from rank-and-file Democrats, he paused before replying with a hearty laugh.
Repubs Should Take It From Kucinich: Impeachment Isn’t Worth It | Eleanor Clift | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI was of extremely low rank, a Senior Aircraftman – only one rung above the bottom.
He distinguished himself in several campaigns, especially in the Peninsular war, and was raised to the rank of field marshal.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellThe high rank, the great riches of his father he rather implied than definitely mentioned.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensAs each company front formed the knees of the rank and file seemed to give way.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian HamiltonIt was commenced in 1883, from a philanthropic feeling, but must rank among trade societies as much as many others.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellIf Wee Willie Winkie took an interest in anyone, the fortunate man was envied alike by the mess and the rank and file.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling
British Dictionary definitions for rank (1 of 3)
/ (ræŋk) /
a position, esp an official one, within a social organization, esp the armed forces: the rank of captain
high social or other standing; status
a line or row of people or things
the position of an item in any ordering or sequence
British a place where taxis wait to be hired
a line of soldiers drawn up abreast of each other: Compare file 1 (def. 5)
any of the eight horizontal rows of squares on a chessboard
(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
music a set of organ pipes controlled by the same stop
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
break ranks military to fall out of line, esp when under attack
close ranks to maintain discipline or solidarity, esp in anticipation of attack
pull rank to get one's own way by virtue of one's superior position or rank
(tr) to arrange (people or things) in rows or lines; range
to accord or be accorded a specific position in an organization, society, or group
(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
(intr) to be important; rate: money ranks low in her order of priorities
mainly US to take precedence or surpass in rank: the colonel ranks at this camp
Origin of rank
1British Dictionary definitions for rank (2 of 3)
/ (ræŋk) /
showing vigorous and profuse growth: rank weeds
highly offensive or disagreeable, esp in smell or taste
(prenominal) complete or absolute; utter: a rank outsider
coarse or vulgar; gross: his language was rank
Origin of rank
2Derived forms of rank
- rankly, adverb
- rankness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for Rank (3 of 3)
(ræŋk) J (oseph) Arthur, 1st Baron. 1888–1972, British industrialist and film executive, whose companies dominated the British film industry in the 1940s and 1950s
(German raŋk) Otto (ˈɔto). 1884–1939, Austrian psychoanalyst, noted for his theory that the trauma of birth may be reflected in certain forms of mental illness
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with rank
In addition to the idiom beginning with rank
- rank and file
also see:
- break ranks
- close ranks
- pull rank
- rise through the ranks
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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