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
H. W. Van LoonExamples 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
Greg McKenna, Fortune, 29 June 2025
Only a recent bad streak of 10 New York losses in 12 games allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to grab a piece of top rung when the weekend began.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Dart has won one of her past 10 matches, unlike, for example, Iva Jović, the American who just won the Ilkley Open, a WTA 125 grass-court warm-up for Wimbledon, one rung below the main tour.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Last year, after nearly three decades of full-time service, Motz retired from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the highest judicial rung a Maryland federal case can reach before landing in the Supreme Court.
—Luke Parker, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
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Noun
The pending legislation proved the final straw for Moody’s, which in May became the last of the three major credit agencies to downgrade the U.S. from its top rung of borrowers.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 29 June 2025
Only a recent bad streak of 10 New York losses in 12 games allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to grab a piece of top rung when the weekend began.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Dart has won one of her past 10 matches, unlike, for example, Iva Jović, the American who just won the Ilkley Open, a WTA 125 grass-court warm-up for Wimbledon, one rung below the main tour.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 19 June 2025
Last year, after nearly three decades of full-time service, Motz retired from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the highest judicial rung a Maryland federal case can reach before landing in the Supreme Court.
—Luke Parker, Baltimore Sun, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rung
1 of 2past participle of ring entry 3
rung
2 of 2 noun
: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
also
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
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