rung

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Examples: rung in a Sentence

Definition of rung

past participle of ring

rung

noun \ ˈrəŋ \

Definition of rung

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

See rung defined for English-language learners

Examples of rung in a Sentence

He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.
the top rung of society
the lowest rung of the pay scale

Recent Examples of rung from the Web

Those steps alone suggest that at the bottom rung of society, poverty begets poverty and inequality tends to beget more inequality.

— michael taylor, San Antonio Express-News, "Is the wealth gap really all that bad?," 27 May 2018
The accuracy of the ladder, though, depends on the measurement of each rung.

— The Economist, "The two ways to measure how fast the universe is growing do not agree," 17 May 2018
There’s simply too much leverage to be gained from wringing more incentives out of the next rung for Amazon to immediately announce a winner.

— elizabeth weise, USA TODAY, "Amazon second headquarters: some expect another round of finalists before winning bid," 30 Apr. 2018
In 2009, Tony Bennett took the job at Virginia, which had slipped to the lower rungs of the ACC ladder.

— david scott, charlotteobserver, "‘Ron’s ready.’ How Charlotte 49ers’ new basketball coach is driven by his life story | Charlotte Observer," 21 Apr. 2018
Wages aren't growing for people on the lower rungs, but studies consistently show that the rich are getting richer.

— grace schneider, The Courier-Journal, "What the recent tax reform bills mean for the average Kentuckian," 19 Apr. 2018
As a recent Harvard Business Review article noted, men make up the majority of management and top-earning roles at American restaurants, while women often occupy the lower rungs of the ladder.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Ex-Employee Files $6 Million Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Harlem Restaurant," 22 Mar. 2018
Federal judges at all three rungs -- trial, appellate and Supreme Court -- are appointed for life.

— joan biskupic, CNN, "Trump fast-tracks appeals judges, but lags on lower courts," 25 May 2018
Some cases are handed off to federal counterparts as the basis for larger takedowns, but more often the cases begin and end with bottom-rung sellers.

— rosa goldensohn, New York Times, "They Shared Drugs. Someone Died. Does That Make Them Killers?," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rung.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rung

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1b

See Words from the same year

rung Synonyms

Synonyms

degree, echelon, footing, level, place, position, rank, ranking, reach(es), situation, standing, station, status, stratum;

Related Words

condition, estate, order, walk;

capacity, function;

rating;

Other Vehicles Terms

brougham, hansom, litter, shay, skid, sledge, sulky, wain

RUNG Defined for English Language Learners

rung

noun

Definition of rung for English Language Learners

: a piece of wood or metal that is placed between the legs of a chair for support
: one of the pieces of wood or metal that is used as a step on a ladder
: a position or level within a group, organization, etc., that is higher or lower than others