rung

1 of 2

past participle of ring

rung

2 of 2

noun

ˈrəŋ 

1

a

: a rounded crosspiece between the legs of a chair

b

: one of the crosspieces of a ladder

2

Scotland : a heavy staff or cudgel

3

: a spoke of a wheel

4

: a level in a hierarchy

rise a few rungs on the social scale

—H. W. Van Loon

Synonyms

Noun

• level
• position
• rank
• echelon
• ranking
• place
• standing

Examples of rung in a Sentence

Noun

He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.

the top rung of society

the lowest rung of the pay scale

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Courageous leaders learn to pause on the lower rungs of the ladder. —Olivia Dufour, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

In short vertical videos, Klymenko stands on the back rungs of a ladder, inviting one guest at a time to hop on the front side. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025

The black silhouette of a male head and shoulders sits atop a ladder whose rungs are capped at each end with empty spools that might have held the threads of life. —arkansasonline.com, 7 July 2025

The evolutionary ladder is meant to be climbed one rung at a time with an organism shedding some traits and gaining others on the way up. —New Atlas, 29 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English hrung crossbar; akin to Goth hrunga staff and perhaps to Old English hring ring — more at ring

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing rung

• get/have one's bell rung

Rhymes for rung

• bling
• bung
• clung
• dung
• flung
• fung
• hung
• lung
• slung
• sprung
• strung
• stung

Kids Definition

rung

1 of 2

past participle of ring entry 3

rung

2 of 2 noun

ˈrəŋ 

: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair

also : one of the crosspieces of a ladder

Medical Definition

rung

past part of ring