: having a high position: such as
a
: of the highest rank
the ranking officer
b
: being next to the chairperson 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
semafor.com, 27 Nov. 2025
Apple, which has an outsized place in the podcast ecosystem, released the top 10 ranking and several related lists on Tuesday.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
The Hurricanes, who finished the season on a four-game win streak and oustcored opponents 151-41 in that span, were 12th in the most recent rankings.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
Li, the country’s second-highest ranking official, said 19 nations had already committed to join the alliance, while vowing to expand the group.
—semafor.com, 27 Nov. 2025
Apple, which has an outsized place in the podcast ecosystem, released the top 10 ranking and several related lists on Tuesday.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025
Noun
One, if Alabama beats Georgia, then only the slotting within the current CFP rankings changes.
—Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
The Hurricanes, who finished the season on a four-game win streak and oustcored opponents 151-41 in that span, were 12th in the most recent rankings.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 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 8 Dec. 2025.
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