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 Roos rank second in the Summit in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 In aristocracies across the globe, rank and title are paramount. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Led by Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam in the films, the order includes in their ranks the emperor’s daughter Prince Irulan (played by Pugh) and Paul’s mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Xi has also overseen a political shakeup in his own ranks, further marring the start of the new term. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 Chicago, Houston, New York and Los Angeles rank highest for citizens in financial duress New York and Los Angeles ranked third and fourth on the financial distress list. USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 The sense that the top prosecutor should do more to fix those issues has helped drive Gascón’s current slump and swell the ranks of his challengers. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 At the time, he was employed by LMPD and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. Rachel Smith, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 The population has a high rate of obesity and the second-worst rank for physical inactivity and unhealthy food. Danae King, The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
California may be listed as having a higher tax burden for lower income earners while a similarly diverse state such as Missouri ranks among the smallest. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024 Key Takeaways: The Best Live Casinos Online After careful consideration, Ignition ranks as our best live casino, with Cafe Casino and Red Dog as runners-up. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 He was ranked No. 11 in the Class of 2024 for ESPN and initially chose the Hoosiers over KU in October. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2024 Merck was ranked #165 the Fortune 500 Europe list and Garijo was ranked #30 on the Most Powerful Women list. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 8 Mar. 2024 Best Picture is the one category that is determined using a preferential ballot—that is, requiring voters to rank all the nominees from best to worst. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2024 The Colorado resort also ranked as the website's No. 1 overall ski area thanks to its high number of runs and lifts and for being one of the most Googled ski resorts in the nation in 2023. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2024 The Lakers entered Thursday ninth in the NBA in free throws attempted per game (24.3) and second in fewest free throws allowed (19.4), one of four teams ranked in the top-10 in both along with the Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks. Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Kenny Clark had a career-high 7.5 sacks, which ranked third on the team. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 25 Feb. 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 19 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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