rank

1 of 3

noun

ˈraŋk 

1

a

: relative standing or position

b

: a degree or position of dignity, eminence, or excellence : distinction

soon took rank as a leading attorney

—J. D. Hicks

c

: high social position

the privileges of rank

d

: a grade of official standing in a hierarchy

2

: an aggregate of individuals classed together

—usually used in plural

3

a

: row, series

b

: a row of people

c(1)

: a line of soldiers ranged side by side in close order

(2)

ranks plural : armed forces

(3)

ranks plural : the body of enlisted personnel

d

: any of the rows of squares that extend across a chessboard perpendicular to the files

e

British : stand sense 6

4

: an orderly arrangement : formation

5

: the order according to some statistical characteristic (such as the score on a test)

6

: any of a series of classes of coal based on increasing alteration of the parent vegetable matter, increasing carbon content, and increasing fuel value

7

: the number of linearly independent rows or columns in a matrix

rank

2 of 3

verb

ranked; ranking; ranks

transitive verb

1

: to determine the relative position of : rate

a highly ranked prospect

2

: to arrange in lines or in a regular formation

3

: to take precedence of

intransitive verb

1

: to take or have a position in relation to others

ranks first in her class

2

: to form or move in ranks

rank

3 of 3

adjective

1

: offensive in odor or flavor

especially : rancid

2

a

: shockingly conspicuous

must lecture him on his rank disloyalty

—David Walden

b

: outright

—used as an intensive

rank beginners

3

: luxuriantly or excessively vigorous in growth

4

: offensively gross or coarse : foul

5

: putrid, festering

6

: high in amount or degree : fraught

7

archaic : lustful, ruttish

8

obsolete : grown too large

rankly adverb

rankness noun

Synonyms

Noun

• ranking
• level
• position
• echelon
• place

Verb

• be
• place
• rate
• stand
• grade

Adjective

• rampant
• lush
• prosperous
• weedy
• dense
• luxuriant

Choose the Right Synonym for rank

malodorous, stinking, fetid, noisome, putrid, rank, fusty, musty mean bad-smelling.

malodorous may range from the unpleasant to the strongly offensive.

malodorous fertilizers

stinking and fetid suggest the foul or disgusting.

prisoners were held in stinking cells

the fetid odor of skunk cabbage

noisome adds a suggestion of being harmful or unwholesome as well as offensive.

a stagnant, noisome sewer

putrid implies particularly the sickening odor of decaying organic matter.

the putrid smell of rotting fish

rank suggests a strong unpleasant smell.

rank cigar smoke

fusty and musty suggest lack of fresh air and sunlight, fusty also implying prolonged uncleanliness, musty stressing the effects of dampness, mildew, or age.

a fusty attic

the musty odor of a damp cellar

flagrant, glaring, gross, rank mean conspicuously bad or objectionable.

flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be condoned.

flagrant abuse of the office of president

glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty, or improper.

glaring errors

gross implies the exceeding of reasonable or excusable limits.

gross carelessness

rank applies to what is openly and extremely objectionable and utterly condemned.

rank heresy

Examples of rank in a Sentence

Noun

people of high rank and profession

She's not concerned about rank or wealth.

officers with the rank of captain

He rose to the rank of partner in the law firm.

He longed to join the upper social ranks.

military ranks such as private, corporal, and sergeant

He moved up through the ranks to become vice president of the company.

The organization's ranks have doubled in the past two years.

The flu swept through the ranks, infecting almost every soldier.

Several men were selected from the ranks.

Verb

A magazine recently ranked the school as one of the best in the country.

The city currently ranks as the world's largest.

Students who rank in the top third of their class have a better chance of being accepted to the college of their choice.

Adjective

You can't expect a rank beginner like her to know all the rules of the game.

covered with trumpet vines so rank you couldn't see the trellis beneath them

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Being picked to join the ranks of her dad's alma mater (Bob even appeared on a 1978 episode) was a dream come true, which made being fired from the show her worst nightmare. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 30 June 2025

The number of deaths is in keeping with Arkansas' rank among fire deaths nationally. —Brett Barrouquere, Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025

Verb

By entering the Billboard 200 at No. 8, KPop Demon Hunters becomes the highest-charting soundtrack since Wicked ranked No. 8 on the chart dated Jan. 25, on its way down from its No. 2 peak. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 1 July 2025

Pro Football Focus ranked the NFL’s top-10 coaches recently — and LaFleur missed the cut. —Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Adjective

Just last week, as millions of Americans took to the skies, June 27 and June 29 now rank as the seventh and eighth busiest days respectively in TSA history, pushing 2025 to claim six of the agency's top 10 busiest days on record. —Doc Louallen, ABC News, 30 June 2025

Returning to the coefficient point, City, Chelsea and Arsenal have racked up healthy figures, and all currently rank in UEFA’s top 12 across both the five-year and 10-year categories. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "row, series, high social position," borrowed from Anglo-Frenchrenc, ranc "line of soldiers, jousting lists, line or rank of persons or things" (continental Old & Middle French also "position in a series or class, high social position"), going back to Old Low Franconian *hringa- "circle, ring," going back to Germanic *hrenga — more at ring entry 1

Verb

derivative of rank entry 1

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English ranc overbearing, strong; akin to Old Norse rakkr erect and perhaps to Old English riht right — more at right

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Verb

1573, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing rank

• break rank
• flag rank
• in the front rank
• of the first rank
• pull rank
• rank and file
• rank correlation
• taxi rank
• the rank and file

Rhymes for rank

• banc
• bank
• blank
• clank
• crank
• dank
• drank
• flank
• franc
• hank
• lank
• plank

Kids Definition

rank

1 of 3 adjective

ˈraŋk 

1

: strong and active in growth

rank weeds

2

: offensively gross or vulgar : foul

rank language

3

a

: very noticeable

rank dishonesty

b

: outright entry 2 sense 1

rank beginners

4

: offensive in odor or flavor

rankly adverb

rankness noun

rank

2 of 3 noun

1

: row entry 3 sense 1, series

2

a

: a line of soldiers standing side by side

b

: the body of enlisted persons in an army

rose from the ranks

3

: a group of individuals classed together

—usually used in plural

in the ranks of the unemployed

4

: position within a group

a poet of high rank

5

: official grade or position

the rank of general

6

: high social position

a person of rank

rank

3 of 3 verb

1

: to arrange in lines or in a formation

2

: to determine the position of in relation to others : rate

a highly ranked player

3

: to come before in rank

a captain ranks a lieutenant

4

: to take or have a certain position in a group

ranks third in the class