: 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 ZimmermanExamples of ranking in a Sentence
Adjective
Who is the ranking officer here?
the country's ranking law school
Noun
in one ranking of the best places to live, San Francisco surpassed all the other cities in the U.S.
the President's ranking in the polls is at its highest level since he took office
Recent Examples on the Web
Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Rounding out the top five is the highest ranking US spot — Avondale in Chicago, highlighted for its wine bars, wellness studios and music venues.
—Francesca Street, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Law Murray, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
According to the Tax Foundation, the Buckeye State now ranks eighth in the nation for property tax burden—ahead of expensive states like New York and California—while ranking 40th in median household income.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Rounding out the top five is the highest ranking US spot — Avondale in Chicago, highlighted for its wine bars, wellness studios and music venues.
—Francesca Street, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
Now is a good time to bring back the team position group rankings.
—Law Murray, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
Cite this Entry
“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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