rank

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: relative standing or position
b
: a degree or position of dignity, eminence, or excellence : distinction
soon took rank as a leading attorneyJ. D. Hicks
c
: high social position
the privileges of rank
d
: a grade of official standing in a hierarchy
2
: an aggregate of individuals classed together
usually used in plural
3
a
: row, series
b
: a row of people
c(1)
: a line of soldiers ranged side by side in close order
(2)
ranks plural : armed forces
(3)
ranks plural : the body of enlisted personnel
d
: any of the rows of squares that extend across a chessboard perpendicular to the files
e
British : stand sense 6
4
: an orderly arrangement : formation
5
: the order according to some statistical characteristic (such as the score on a test)
6
: any of a series of classes of coal based on increasing alteration of the parent vegetable matter, increasing carbon content, and increasing fuel value
7
: the number of linearly independent rows or columns in a matrix

rank

2 of 3

verb

ranked; ranking; ranks

transitive verb

1
: to determine the relative position of : rate
a highly ranked prospect
2
: to arrange in lines or in a regular formation
3
: to take precedence of

intransitive verb

1
: to take or have a position in relation to others
ranks first in her class
2
: to form or move in ranks

rank

3 of 3

adjective

1
: offensive in odor or flavor
especially : rancid
2
a
: shockingly conspicuous
must lecture him on his rank disloyaltyDavid Walden
b
: outright
used as an intensive
rank beginners
3
: luxuriantly or excessively vigorous in growth
4
: offensively gross or coarse : foul
5
6
: high in amount or degree : fraught
7
archaic : lustful, ruttish
8
obsolete : grown too large
rankly adverb
rankness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for rank

malodorous, stinking, fetid, noisome, putrid, rank, fusty, musty mean bad-smelling.

malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells
the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic
the musty odor of a damp cellar

flagrant, glaring, gross, rank mean conspicuously bad or objectionable.

flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be condoned.

flagrant abuse of the office of president

glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty, or improper.

glaring errors

gross implies the exceeding of reasonable or excusable limits.

gross carelessness

rank applies to what is openly and extremely objectionable and utterly condemned.

rank heresy

Examples of rank in a Sentence

Noun people of high rank and profession She's not concerned about rank or wealth. officers with the rank of captain He rose to the rank of partner in the law firm. He longed to join the upper social ranks. military ranks such as private, corporal, and sergeant He moved up through the ranks to become vice president of the company. The organization's ranks have doubled in the past two years. The flu swept through the ranks, infecting almost every soldier. Several men were selected from the ranks. Verb A magazine recently ranked the school as one of the best in the country. The city currently ranks as the world's largest. Students who rank in the top third of their class have a better chance of being accepted to the college of their choice. Adjective You can't expect a rank beginner like her to know all the rules of the game. covered with trumpet vines so rank you couldn't see the trellis beneath them
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Cougars rank No. 2 nationally in three-pointers per game (11.2). Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers want to reach into Arizona school classrooms with bills that would dictate curriculum, make certain immunizations optional and scrap letter grades used to rank schools' performance. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2024 Beaches rank as the top preferred vacation destination among 34% of Americans, according to a 30A Company 2022 survey of 1,040 U.S. adults. Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024 On the season the Razorbacks rank second nationally in free throws made per game (19.9) and attempted (26.5). Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2024 Such thin ranks can render oversight almost meaningless, with annual assessments often taking years to complete. Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 12 Mar. 2024 With some games displaying high RTPs, your chances of winning rank high. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Russia is recruiting foreign fighters—and soon possibly foreign felons—into its ranks as well. Dara Massicot, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024 The Roos rank second in the Summit in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
Intel, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, currently ranks as Arizona's 11th-largest nongovernmental employer, with 13,000 employees as of last year's Repubic 100 special report. The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 Portuguese young people’s happiness already ranks above those of people in Germany and France, for example. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 20 Mar. 2024 The United States ranked as the 33rd least polluted country, according to the report, with an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 9.1 micrograms per cubic meter. Kelly Kasulis Cho, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 Boston’s planning laws are arcane; Massachusetts ranks toward the bottom of all states in new-construction permits. E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024 While the Top500 list ranks the 500 biggest high-performance computers (HPCs) in the world, its cousin the Green500 re-ranks the same 500 supercomputers according to their energy efficiency. IEEE Spectrum, 20 Mar. 2024 Inflation concerns fell to third place, with only 27% ranking it among their top three concerns, compared to 51% in the previous survey. Alan Murray, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 Duke features strong guards and is ranked No. 15 nationally in three-point field goal percentage (37.7). Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Located just north of Miami is Pembroke Pines, which ranks 12th. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The Denver Chute Out, Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, features top bull riders squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls in North America. Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024 In the late 1940s, when the emerging post–World War II global order started to frown upon such rank imperialism, the U.S. allowed Puerto Ricans to elect our own governor and start drafting a Constitution. Alberto C. Medina, The New Republic, 24 July 2023 An unhinged, highly imaginative sadist, the Con Queen makes Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley look like a rank amateur. Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2023 The air within the greenhouse was rank with exhaust fumes. Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2023 The Rockets throw the twelfth-most passes in the league, but rank stone cold last in assists, a testament to the fact that passes rarely arrive in the shooter's pocket. Mark Deeks, Forbes, 31 Mar. 2023 And 18% of Gen Z and millennials actually rank creator content higher than search engines for product information or recommendations. Rodney Mason, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023 Seneca was a Roman senator, a philosopher and playwright who acted as tutor to the boy emperor and received nothing but rank ingratitude for his efforts. Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2023 So if your dog is starting to smell a little bit rank, read on. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 13 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "row, series, high social position," borrowed from Anglo-Frenchrenc, ranc "line of soldiers, jousting lists, line or rank of persons or things" (continental Old & Middle French also "position in a series or class, high social position"), going back to Old Low Franconian *hringa- "circle, ring," going back to Germanic *hrenga — more at ring entry 1

Verb

derivative of rank entry 1

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English ranc overbearing, strong; akin to Old Norse rakkr erect and perhaps to Old English riht right — more at right

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

1573, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of rank was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near rank

Cite this Entry

“Rank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rank. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rank

1 of 3 adjective
1
: strong and active in growth
rank weeds
2
: offensively gross or vulgar : foul
rank language
3
a
: very noticeable
rank dishonesty
b
: outright entry 2 sense 1
rank beginners
4
: offensive in odor or flavor
rankly adverb
rankness noun

rank

2 of 3 noun
1
2
a
: a line of soldiers standing side by side
b
: the body of enlisted persons in an army
rose from the ranks
3
: a group of individuals classed together
usually used in plural
in the ranks of the unemployed
4
: position within a group
a poet of high rank
5
: official grade or position
the rank of general
6
: high social position
a person of rank

rank

3 of 3 verb
1
: to arrange in lines or in a formation
2
: to determine the position of in relation to others : rate
a highly ranked player
3
: to come before in rank
a captain ranks a lieutenant
4
: to take or have a certain position in a group
ranks third in the class

More from Merriam-Webster on rank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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