rung

1 of 2

past participle of ring

rung

2 of 2

noun

ˈrəŋ 

1

a

: a rounded crosspiece between the legs of a chair

b

: one of the crosspieces of a ladder

2

Scotland : a heavy staff or cudgel

3

: a spoke of a wheel

4

: a level in a hierarchy

… rise a few rungs on the social scale …

—H. W. Van Loon

Synonyms of rung

Noun

• level
• position
• rank
• echelon
• ranking
• place
• standing

Examples of rung in a Sentence

Noun

He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.

the top rung of society

the lowest rung of the pay scale

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The other was the rescue of two women who cliffed out on the famous Via Ferrata in Telluride where there are cables and handholds along with iron rungs. —Alan Gionet, CBS News, 18 June 2026

The governor, in the meantime, tours the nation and world in pursuit of the next rung on the political ladder. —George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026

But Freese, the team’s likely starting goalkeeper, did not earn his first call-up until age 26, after working his way up from the lower rungs of the depth chart in Philadelphia to starter at New York City FC. —Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 11 June 2026

All of those tracks sat in the highest rung for an even 20 periods, and then stepped back. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hrung crossbar; akin to Goth hrunga staff and perhaps to Old English hring ring — more at ring

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing rung

• get/have one's bell rung
• get one's bell rung
• have one's bell rung

Rhymes for rung

• bling
• bung
• clung
• dung
• flung
• fung
• hung
• lung
• slung
• sprung
• strung
• stung

Kids Definition

rung

1 of 2

past participle of ring entry 3

rung

2 of 2 noun

ˈrəŋ 

: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair

also : one of the crosspieces of a ladder

Medical Definition

rung

past part of ring