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ranking member

Cultural  

  1. A legislator on a committee who belongs to the majority party and, by virtue of seniority, ranks first after the committee chairman. The most senior member representing the minority party is the ranking minority member of the committee.

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.

Durbin is also the Democratic whip in the Senate and serves as the ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

The letter was addressed to the Senate Judiciary Committee's chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking member Dick Durbin, as well as the House Judiciary Committee's chairman Jim Jordan and ranking member Jamie Raskin.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

Rep. Adam Smith is the ranking member of the House committee that’s supposed to have oversight on the Department of Defense—yes, that’s what he still calls it.

From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026

Ms. Shaheen, a Democrat, is a U.S. senator from New Hampshire and ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

He is no longer a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nor a ranking member of the military establishment.

From Oberheim (Voices) by Leadem, Christopher

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.