1
as in level
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement
the greasy spoon restaurant was several rungs below the kind of establishment in which we usually dined
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in baton
Scottish
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
the watchman usually carried a stout oak rung
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in chimed
to make the clear sound heard when metal vibrates
I didn't hear the doorbell ring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rung
Andrew Duehren, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
The next rung of the ladder involves finding distant Cepheids and comparing their intrinsic luminosity (obtained using their periodicity) to their observed luminosity to estimate distances to their host galaxies.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2025
Early rooms are usually the same and somewhat simple — hallways, bedrooms, and puzzle parlors — but the closer the player gets up the rungs of the grid toward the antechamber, the higher the rank of each room gets, with more complex options (and solutions) presenting themselves.
—Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2025
But ‘Europa League specialist’ is faint praise because the tournament is the second rung on UEFA’s ladder.
—Justin Guthrie, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
Noun
But tax cuts and tariffs have varying effects for different rungs of the socioeconomic ladder.
—Andrew Duehren, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
The next rung of the ladder involves finding distant Cepheids and comparing their intrinsic luminosity (obtained using their periodicity) to their observed luminosity to estimate distances to their host galaxies.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 1 Apr. 2025
Early rooms are usually the same and somewhat simple — hallways, bedrooms, and puzzle parlors — but the closer the player gets up the rungs of the grid toward the antechamber, the higher the rank of each room gets, with more complex options (and solutions) presenting themselves.
—Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2025
But ‘Europa League specialist’ is faint praise because the tournament is the second rung on UEFA’s ladder.
—Justin Guthrie, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rung
Noun
-
In addition to financial support to address human-wolf conflict, the researchers say wolf recovery in Europe has been made possible by substantial legal protections at the country level and at the E.U. level.—
Olivia Ferrari,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Human observers had a consensus while AI models were all over the place Though previous research has shown that AI models can accurately describe what’s happening in still images at a level comparable to humans, this study aimed to see whether that still holds true for video.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
When more officers got to the scene, while officers held Nichols' arms and hit him with a barrage of kicks, punches, baton strikes and pepper spray.—
Jack Armstrong,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
Video of the beating, captured by a police pole camera, showed Nichols being held by his arms as officers punched, kicked and struck him with a baton, according to reports from the AP and The Commercial Appeal newspaper.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This is impossible: there is no getting politics out of art because the desire to remove politics from art is itself a political position.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
2 May 2025
-
The multi-year project is expected to generate thousands of highly skilled jobs while cementing Mumbai’s position as a cornerstone of global film production.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
An older man walking with a cane was also caught up in the scuffle and fell on his back.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Walking with a cane and recovering from a recent illness, Mr. Lev could not resist doing a little jig as stepped upon it to the cheers of friends and family.—
Dina Kraft,
Christian Science Monitor,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
McDonald’s dropped diversity targets for its executive ranks.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
The video saw her rank 7-months-old as the easiest age of child to fly with, based on her own experience.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
Noun
-
But as the question posed by its title indicates, the actor and singer holds the world to pretty exacting standards — and her debut full-length is a confident, sumptuous statement of intent that places her firmly in R&B’s upper echelons.—
Maura Johnston,
Rolling Stone,
24 Apr. 2025
-
His ascent to the main event echelon of WWE has been nothing short of remarkable.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Ellison improved his ranking by one from No. 5 in 2024, while Page vaulted three places from No. 10 and Brin jumped three positions from No. 11.—
Sarah Linn,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Nice sit 63rd in the ELO rankings — a measure of team strength that allocates points for every result, weighted by the quality of opposition faced — ahead of Galatasaray and level with Freiburg.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
His journey wasn’t straightforward, but every setback and failure led him to a place of profound understanding.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
-
The hotel opened in 2003, but it's held tight to its reputation as one of the most luxurious places to stay in the country.—
Nicole Brewer,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rung. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share