: having a high position: such as
a
: of the highest rank
the ranking officer
b
: being next to the chairman in seniority
ranking committee member
plural rankings
: position, order, or standing within a group : rank
The figures, compiled from federal surveys and a tourism research concern, earned New York City a second-place ranking nationwide as a destination for United States travelers, pushing Las Vegas down to the No. 3 spot.—
Eric Lipton
Eric Lipton… if a site is linked to by sites of high quality and popularity, those links can raise the ranking of the first site.—Elizabeth Stone
Elizabeth StonePlaying primarily in regional events, she earned a ranking of No. 151, high enough to make the qualifying field at Roland Garros.—L. Jon Wertheim
L. Jon Wertheim… he had the lowest interception rate and the highest ranking of any NFL quarterback …—Paul Zimmerman
Paul Zimmerman
Examples of ranking in a Sentence
Adjective
Who is the ranking officer here?
the country's ranking law school
Recent Examples on the WebChristy Bailey, al, 1 July 2023
Nevada officials have developed a ranking tool to help cities decide whether the economic benefits of new businesses would outweigh their additional water use.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
The highest ranking Proud Boy convicted after a monthslong trial earlier this year, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Sep. 2023
And Murdoch and Fox News have a powerful public defender: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee.
—Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
Many factors went into ranking cities across the country, but the most significant factors included unemployment rate, affordability, median home prices, median income and estimated monthly mortgage payments.
—Beck Andrew Salgado, Journal Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2023
The highest ranking Martin collected was first, with the lowest coming at fifth.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 16 July 2023
This puts the country at odds with its reputation abroad, with Angela Merkel as its former longtime leader, and its ranking 6th in gender parity worldwide, according to the World Economic Forum.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2023
Such a ranking system is already in use to select Twitter’s community notes.
—WIRED, 3 Aug. 2023
C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023
The rankings are based on a subjective assessment of individual performance, value to the team and quality of competition.
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
West Aurora and Streamwood close in on Elgin at the top of the rankings, while Geneva’s Trent Giansanti is the player of the week.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
The ranking seeks to examine how well U.S. hospitals serve people of color in their communities.
—Donovan J. Thomas, ajc, 19 Sep. 2023
Texas’ top public universities The annual U.S. News & World Report ranking names nine colleges in Texas among the nation's top 150 public universities for 2024.
—Marcela Rodrigues, Dallas News, 19 Sep. 2023
For a full list of rankings, visit US News and World Reports full listing here.
—Savannah Tryens-Fernandes | Stryens-Fernandes@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
Critics of the rankings dared to hope that undergraduate programs at the same universities would defect, too.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023
Independent Notre Dame rounds out the current top 25 rankings.
—oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
See More
Adjective
Niche is a ranking and review website that focuses on colleges in the United States.
—Christy Bailey, al, 1 July 2023
Nevada officials have developed a ranking tool to help cities decide whether the economic benefits of new businesses would outweigh their additional water use.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
The highest ranking Proud Boy convicted after a monthslong trial earlier this year, Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Anchorage Daily News, 1 Sep. 2023
And Murdoch and Fox News have a powerful public defender: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee.
—Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2023
Many factors went into ranking cities across the country, but the most significant factors included unemployment rate, affordability, median home prices, median income and estimated monthly mortgage payments.
—Beck Andrew Salgado, Journal Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2023
The highest ranking Martin collected was first, with the lowest coming at fifth.
—Sportsday Staff, Dallas News, 16 July 2023
This puts the country at odds with its reputation abroad, with Angela Merkel as its former longtime leader, and its ranking 6th in gender parity worldwide, according to the World Economic Forum.
—Peter Vanham, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2023
Such a ranking system is already in use to select Twitter’s community notes.
—WIRED, 3 Aug. 2023
Noun
The rankings will take into account not just weekly performance, injuries and roster depth, but how well each team measures up as Super Bowl contenders.
—C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2023
The rankings are based on a subjective assessment of individual performance, value to the team and quality of competition.
—Jon Wilner | , oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
West Aurora and Streamwood close in on Elgin at the top of the rankings, while Geneva’s Trent Giansanti is the player of the week.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023
The ranking seeks to examine how well U.S. hospitals serve people of color in their communities.
—Donovan J. Thomas, ajc, 19 Sep. 2023
Texas’ top public universities The annual U.S. News & World Report ranking names nine colleges in Texas among the nation's top 150 public universities for 2024.
—Marcela Rodrigues, Dallas News, 19 Sep. 2023
For a full list of rankings, visit US News and World Reports full listing here.
—Savannah Tryens-Fernandes | Stryens-Fernandes@al.com, al, 18 Sep. 2023
Critics of the rankings dared to hope that undergraduate programs at the same universities would defect, too.
—Alan Blinder, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023
Independent Notre Dame rounds out the current top 25 rankings.
—oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ranking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing ranking
Dictionary Entries Near ranking
Cite this Entry
“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on ranking
Nglish: Translation of ranking for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ranking for Arabic Speakers
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