as in level
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement
jobs in the upper echelons of the company pay quite well indeed
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Recent Examples of echelon
But Campbell wasn’t the only member of Philbin’s staff who developed into an upper-echelon NFL head coach.
—
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
Some of those upper-echelon designers and retailers have opened, including Lilly Pulitzer and Veronica Beard in addition to SPACE 519.
—Joshua Irvine, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
The Huskies rank in the upper echelon in nearly every statistical category on defense, both as a team and on an individual level.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
The most plausible entrant may be a late-season episode of Strictly Come Dancing, which could creep into the lower echelons of the top 10.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for echelon
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
Some of those upper-echelon designers and retailers have opened, including Lilly Pulitzer and Veronica Beard in addition to SPACE 519.
—Joshua Irvine, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
The Huskies rank in the upper echelon in nearly every statistical category on defense, both as a team and on an individual level.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 2026
The most plausible entrant may be a late-season episode of Strictly Come Dancing, which could creep into the lower echelons of the top 10.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for echelon
Recent Examples of Synonyms for echelon
Noun
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In addition to where in the stadium tickets can purchased, Razorback Foundation donor levels and priority points also dictate how parking passes around the stadium are distributed and how many tickets are available for purchase in certain sections.—
Matt Jones,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
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The yen touched its strongest level since October in US trading Tuesday after comments from Japanese officials, including just recently the finance minister, fueled speculation that the government may intervene in the market to prevent the currency from resuming its decline.—
Mia Glass,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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One of Kansas City’s premiere barbecue spots is the 15th best restaurant in the country, according to Yelp’s new ranking.—
Rashad Alexander,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
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The ranking marks Southwest’s first win on WSJ’s scorecard since 2020, ending Delta’s four-year streak at the top.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
My LiveCast rank has dropped to 480,892.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Several moderate Democrats broke ranks with their colleagues to pass a stopgap spending bill and end a government shutdown late last year.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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His 1,500 career hits, for example, would be the lowest total by any position player elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA since Ralph Kiner (1,451) in 1975.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
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But some people with different ideological positions saw different videos, from different angles, and reached totally different conclusions about what happened — partly due to cues from political leaders.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Just down the street, the Black Forest Inn is also leaning into service, offering coffee, soup and a warm place to gather.—
Derek James,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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All the key players in the industry are in one place and discussing how to get our society to the next stage in a responsible way.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Echelon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/echelon. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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