ranking

1 of 2

adjective

rank·​ing ˈraŋ-kiŋ How to pronounce ranking (audio)
: 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

ranking

2 of 2

noun

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
… 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
Playing primarily in regional events, she earned a ranking of No. 151, high enough to make the qualifying field at Roland Garros.L. Jon Wertheim
… he had the lowest interception rate and the highest ranking of any NFL quarterback …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 Web
Adjective
Democracy has been on the slide since 2016, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a London research group whose yearly ranking system has become a gold standard. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024 Google and its treatment of pages is the primary force behind what does and doesn't count as SEO, and to say Google's guidelines reduce subjective page quality is a strike against Google's entire ranking algorithm. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 19 Jan. 2024 Issa would be the highest ranking Hamas leader to have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 What’s more, Los Angeles represents the urban area with the greatest stormwater runoff potential in the West, ranking 19th in the country. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 In other words, the military came to the realization that the intangible how (the leadership skills that were demonstrated by the highest ranking officers), were perhaps just as necessary to the success of its operations as were the physical combat skills. Rachel Wells, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 Wisconsin's two largest cities ranked in the top half of the 100 in 2023, with Madison in sixth and Milwaukee ranking 43rd. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2024 The ranking details which tunes are reaching the largest audience at radio stations across the U.S. that focus on a style of pop called adult pop, which essentially means the tunes are aimed at a more mature listener. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Adam Smith, who is the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said on Friday, Biden does not have the normal strength to go out there and campaign. CBS News, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
But a rank of 110th for healthy food dragged the city’s overall ranking down. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2024 Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bolivia topped the ranking of tropical countries with the most primary forest loss. Fox News, 4 Apr. 2024 For example, breast cancer amongst females is more common than lung cancer, a flip from the general population ranking. Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024 In the same ranking, Italy, often seen as an economic laggard and home to many geriatric CEOs, had by far the most fast-growing companies in Europe, beating out the U.K., Germany, and France. Peter Vanham, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024 The website used a variety of factors to construct the ranking. Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024 Oprah Winfrey joined the rankings in fourth place with a net worth of $2.8 billion, while reality TV star Kim Kardashian came in sixth at $1.7 billion. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024 The rankings were compiled by BANG’s Darren Sabedra and Nathan Canilao. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024 Well is the fifth top 10-charting effort for Musgraves, and all of them have started in the top four of the ranking. Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2024

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

First Known Use

Adjective

1847, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1836, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ranking was in 1836

Dictionary Entries Near ranking

Cite this Entry

“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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