Word forms: comparative ranker, superlative rankest, plural, 3rd person singular presenttense ranks, present participle ranking, past tense, past participle ranked
1. variable noun
Someone's rank is the position or grade that they have in an organization.
He eventually rose to the rank of captain. [+ of]
The former head of counter-intelligence had been stripped of his rank and privileges.
...officers of equivalent rank in the other branches.
Synonyms: status, level, position, grade More Synonyms of rank
2. variable noun
Someone's rank is the social class, especially the high social class, that they belong to.
[formal]
Each rank of the peerage was represented.
He must be treated as a hostage of high rank, not as a common prisoner.
Synonyms: class, dignity, caste, nobility More Synonyms of rank
3. verb
If an official organization ranks someone or something 1st, 5th, or 50th, for example, they calculate that the person or thing has that position on a scale. You can also say that someone or something ranks 1st, 5th, or 50th, for example.
The report ranks the U.K. 20th out of 22 advanced nations. [V n ord + in/out of]
He was at the time ranked 10th in the world and had a regular place in the SwedishDavis Cup team. [V n ord in/out of n]
She was ranked 12th in a recent Top 50 Models poll. [V ord in/out of n]
She was ranked in the top 50 of the women's world rankings. [beVERB-ed + in]
Mr Short does not even rank in the world's top ten. [V + in/among]
Synonyms: be graded, belong, be placed, be classified More Synonyms of rank
4. verb
If you say that someone or something ranks high or low on a scale or if you rank them high or low, you are saying how good or important you think they are.
His prices rank high among those of other contemporary photographers. [V adj + among]
Investors ranked South Korea high among Asian nations. [V n adj + among]
St Petersburg's night life ranks as more exciting than the capital's. [Vas adj]
18 per cent of women ranked sex as very important in their lives. [V n as adj]
The Ritz-Carlton in Aspen has to rank as one of the most extraordinary hotels I haveever been to. [VERB + as]
Since the 1930s, cancer has always been ranked as the disease people are most concernedabout. [beV-ed as n]
[Also V n among n, Vamong n, V n as n]
5. verb
If you say that someone or something ranks with a group of famous people or things, you mean that they are extremely good and should be included inthat group.
...a performance of heroic calibre that must rank with the most memorable. [VERBwith noun]
We found his Hot soufflé in cinnamon spice with Drambuie cream to rank with the bestEnglish sweets. [VERBwith noun]
6. plural noun
The ranks of a group or organization are the people who belong to it.
There were some misgivings within the ranks of the media too. [+ of]
The General Assembly welcomed five new members to its ranks.
7. plural noun [oft preposition NOUN]
The ranks are the ordinary members of an organization, especially of the armed forces.
Top military leaders say there have been reports of demoralization in the ranks.
Most store managers have worked their way up through the ranks.
8. countable noun
A rankof people or things is a row of them.
Ranks of police in riot gear stood nervously by. [+ of]
She continued to smile at the ranks of cameras on their doorstep.
Synonyms: row, line, file, column More Synonyms of rank
9. countable noun
A taxirank is a place on a city street where taxis park when they are available for hire.
[mainly British]
The man led the way to the taxi rank.
He walked towards the first taxi on the rank.
regional note: in AM, use stand
10. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
You can use rank to emphasize a bad or undesirable quality that exists in an extreme form.
[formal, emphasis]
He called it 'rank hypocrisy' that the government was now promoting equal rights.
11. adjective
You can describe something as rank when it has a strong and unpleasant smell.
[old-fashioned, written]
The kitchen was rank with the smell of drying uniforms.
...the rank smell of unwashed clothes.
Synonyms: foul, off, bad, offensive More Synonyms of rank
12.
See to break ranks
13.
See to close ranks
14.
See join the ranks of X, join sb's ranks
15.
See rank outsider/outsiders
16.
See to pull rank
More Synonyms of rank
rank in British English1
(ræŋk)
noun
1.
a position, esp an official one, within a social organization, esp the armed forces
the rank of captain
2.
high social or other standing; status
3.
a line or row of people or things
4.
the position of an item in any ordering or sequence
5. British
a place where taxis wait to be hired
6.
a line of soldiers drawn up abreast of each other
Compare file1 (sense 5)
7.
any of the eight horizontal rows of squares on a chessboard
8.
(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
9. music
a set of organ pipes controlled by the same stop
10. mathematics
(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
11. break ranks
12. close ranks
13. pull rank
verb
14. (transitive)
to arrange (people or things) in rows or lines; range
15.
to accord or be accorded a specific position in an organization, society, or group
16. (transitive)
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
17. (intransitive)
to be important; rate
money ranks low in her order of priorities
18. mainly US
to take precedence or surpass in rank
the colonel ranks at this camp
Word origin
C16: from Old French ranc row, rank, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German hring circle
rank in British English2
(ræŋk)
adjective
1.
showing vigorous and profuse growth
rank weeds
2.
highly offensive or disagreeable, esp in smell or taste
3. (prenominal)
complete or absolute; utter
a rank outsider
4.
coarse or vulgar; gross
his language was rank
Derived forms
rankly (ˈrankly)
adverb
rankness (ˈrankness)
noun
Word origin
Old English ranc straight, noble; related to Old Norse rakkr upright, Dutch, Swedish rank tall and thin, weak
Rank in British English
noun
1. (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
2. (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
rank in American English1
(ræŋk)
noun
1.
a row, line, or series
2.
an orderly arrangement
3.
a social division or class; stratum of society
people from all ranks of life
4.
a high position in society; high degree; eminence
a person of rank
5.
an official grade or position
the rank of captain
6.
a relative position, usually in a scale classifying persons or things; grade; degree
a poet of the first rank
7.
any of the rows of squares on a chessboard extending from side to side, perpendicular to the files
8. Military
a.
a row of soldiers, vehicles, etc. placed side by side, or abreast of one another
see also file1 (sense 11)
b. [pl.]
the body of soldiers of an army, as distinguished from the officers [to rise from the ranks]
, often used metaphorically to refer to the ordinary members of any group, as opposedto its leaders
9. Music
stop (sense 18) stop (sense 18a)
verb transitive
10.
to place in a rank or ranks
11.
to assign a certain rank, or position, to
12. US
to have a higher rank than; outrank
verb intransitive
13.
to hold a certain rank, or position
to rank third on a list
14. Archaic
to form a rank or move in ranks
Idioms:
pull (one's) rank on
Word origin
MFr renc < OFr ranc, renc: see range
rank in American English2
(ræŋk)
adjective
1.
growing vigorously and coarsely; overly luxuriant
rank grass
2.
producing or covered with a luxuriant crop; extremely fertile
3.
strong and offensive in smell or taste; rancid
4.
in bad taste; coarse
5.
complete; utter
rank deceit
6. Obsolete
in sexual heat
Derived forms
rankly (ˈrankly)
adverb
rankness (ˈrankness)
noun
Word origin
ME ranke < OE ranc, strong, proud, akin to MLowG rank, slender, erect, long and thin < IE base *reĝ-, put in order, stretch out > right
More idioms containing
rank
pull rank
Examples of 'rank' in a sentence
rank
Then rank each win according to the quality of the opposition.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Certainly confidence is brimming through their ranks right now.
The Sun (2016)
Bosses pledged to recruit more ethnic minorities to the top ranks.
The Sun (2016)
They danced in joy at defeating opponents ranked 83 places above them.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
In that world, upgrading the perch upon which you rest your posterior at the end of the day will probably not rank high on the priority list.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Often she finds herself stranded, with no staff to help her on and off, or to move between the platforms and the taxi rank.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Our algorithms aim to rank first what people are most likely to find useful.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Only one in ten ranked food as being key.
The Sun (2015)
When the war ended he had reached the rank of captain.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It has been ranked as the city with the shortest working day in the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The ranks of police stood at attention.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
They would risk accusations of rank hypocrisy if they did.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was promoted to the rank of colonel and given various decorations.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They also rank in the top five in the world.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It featured high in the speech but ranks low for realism.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Afghanistan has since made its way through the ranks of cricket rapidly.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Their first step was to rank international sides based on results.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Surely that must rank as one of the most useful skills that anyone could master.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Either the cooking meat or the giant himself had a rank and musty smell.
Tepper, Sheri S. A Plague of Angels (1993)
Various other allowances were paid to the staff according to their rank.
Brian Hoey AT HOME WITH THE QUEEN: The Inside Story of the Royal Household (2002)
They have tattoos that are worn like military ranks.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
No man of rank felt safe without a retinue to protect him.
Christina Hardyment Malory: The Life and Times of King Arthur's Chronicler (2005)
Peer ranking requires each group member to rank the performance of all other members from best to worst.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments,Functions
One reason why England are ranked outsiders is because they have largely failed to join the fun.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Now their ranks have risen to 25 percent.
Christianity Today (2000)
The opposite was the case last year, when four of the five most highly ranked were independents.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A lot know we have a high ranked education system.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We have genuine class in our ranks and it's rising to the surface just at the right time.
The Sun (2007)
In other languages
rank
British English: rank /ræŋk/ NOUN
status Someone's rank is their position in an organization, or in society.
...the rank of captain.
American English: rank status
Arabic: مَكَانَة
Brazilian Portuguese: posição
Chinese: 等级
Croatian: rang
Czech: hodnost
Danish: rang
Dutch: rang
European Spanish: rango
Finnish: arvoasema
French: rang
German: Rang
Greek: ιεραρχικός βαθμός
Italian: rango
Japanese: 階級 status
Korean: 계층
Norwegian: rang
Polish: ranga
European Portuguese: posição
Romanian: grad
Russian: ранг
Latin American Spanish: rango
Swedish: rang
Thai: ตำแหน่ง
Turkish: rütbe
Ukrainian: звання
Vietnamese: vị trí
British English: rank /ræŋk/ NOUN
row A rank of people or things is a row of them.
Ranks of police in riot gear stood nervously by.
American English: rank line
Arabic: صَفّ
Brazilian Portuguese: fileira
Chinese: 行列
Croatian: red
Czech: řada
Danish: række
Dutch: rij
European Spanish: fila
Finnish: rivi
French: rangée
German: Reihe
Greek: σειρά
Italian: riga
Japanese: 列 line
Korean: 열
Norwegian: rekke linje
Polish: szereg linia
European Portuguese: fileira
Romanian: șir
Russian: шеренга
Latin American Spanish: fila
Swedish: rad
Thai: แถว
Turkish: sıra taksi vb
Ukrainian: шеренга
Vietnamese: dãy
British English: rank /ræŋk/ VERB
When someone or something is ranked a particular position, they are at that position on a scale.
The tennis player ranks 20th in the world.
IT proficiency ranks alongside reading and writing as one of the most important basic abilities.
American English: rank
Arabic: يَحْتَلُّ مَكَانَة
Brazilian Portuguese: figurar
Chinese: 排列
Croatian: rangirati
Czech: řadit (se) do skupiny
Danish: rangere
Dutch: positie bekleden
European Spanish: estar clasificado
Finnish: olla arvoltaan
French: classer en ordre
German: zählen zu
Greek: ταξινομώ
Italian: classificare
Japanese: ランク付けする
Korean: 위치하게 하다
Norwegian: rangere
Polish: zaliczać się
European Portuguese: figurar
Romanian: a se clasa
Russian: располагать в ряд
Latin American Spanish: estar clasificado
Swedish: ha en plats
Thai: อยู่ในอันดับ
Turkish: sıralamak
Ukrainian: шикувати(ся)
Vietnamese: giữ vị trí
All related terms of 'rank'
cab rank
an area, often specially designated, where taxis wait to pick up passengers
flag rank
the rank of a flag officer
pull rank
to make unfair use of your power or position to make people do what you want
taxi rank
A taxi rank is a place where taxis wait for passengers , for example at an airport or outside a station .
class rank
a student's rank among others of the same year based on a numeric grade point average
field rank
the rank of major , lieutenant colonel , or colonel
front-rank
foremost ; most important; prominent
academic rank
the rank held by members of academic staff having titles such as professor , associate professor, assistant professor, instructor etc
to pull rank
If you say that someone in authority pulls rank , you mean that they unfairly force other people to do what they want because of their higher rank or position.
cab rank rule
the rule that obliges barristers to take on any client in strict rotation
rank and file
The rank and file are the ordinary members of an organization or the ordinary workers in a company, as opposed to its leaders or managers .
substantive rank
a permanent rank in the armed services obtained by length of service, selection , etc
pull (one's) rank on
to take advantage of one's military rank in enforcing commands or one's high position or seniority in making demands on (a subordinate )
rank outsider/outsiders
If one of the people in a competition is described as a rank outsider , they are considered to have very little chance of winning .
first cab off the rank
the first person, etc, to do or take advantage of something
Spearman's rank-order coefficient
a statistic measuring the extent to which two sets of discrete data place the distinct items in the same order, given by r S = 1 – 6 Σ d 2 /n ( n 2 – 1 ), where Σ d 2 is the sum of the squares of the differences of ranks between the two orderings and n is the number of items in each
Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient
a statistic measuring the extent to which two sets of discrete data place the distinct items in the same order, given by r S = 1 – 6 Σ d 2 /n ( n 2 – 1 ), where Σ d 2 is the sum of the squares of the differences of ranks between the two orderings and n is the number of items in each
Chinese translation of 'rank'
rank
(ræŋk)
n
(c) (= row) 行 (háng)
(c/u) (= status) 等级(級) (děngjí)
(c/u) (= social class) (frm) 阶(階)层(層) (jiēcéng)
(c) (Brit) (also taxi rank)
出租车(車)候客站 (chūzūchē hòukèzhàn)
vi
to rank as ... 被列为(為) ... (bèi lièwéi ... )
vt
he is ranked third in the world他在世界上排名第三 (tā zài shìjièshang páimíng dìsān)