as in hierarchy
a scheme of rank or order
their team placed third on the tournament ladder
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ladder
Crews used a ladder to rescue a 42-year-old man who had broken through the windows on the second floor in an effort to flee the blaze.
—
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
With the use of a firetruck ladder, a member of the swift water rescue team was lifted over the tall fence at the river’s edge and lowered to retrieve the person in the water.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Elsewhere is a second loft that's reached by a removable ladder and would also be suitable as a secondary bedroom or storage area.
—New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2026
Flushed excitement, climbing the ladder.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ladder
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
With the use of a firetruck ladder, a member of the swift water rescue team was lifted over the tall fence at the river’s edge and lowered to retrieve the person in the water.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Elsewhere is a second loft that's reached by a removable ladder and would also be suitable as a secondary bedroom or storage area.
—New Atlas, 5 Jan. 2026
Flushed excitement, climbing the ladder.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ladder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ladder
Noun
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In the internal logic of Venezuela’s ruling system, power functions less like that of a modern institutional state and more like a feudal hierarchy, where control of armed force determines political survival.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
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But some people involved will be new, including those at the top of the legislative hierarchy.—
Rachel E. Stassen-Berger,
Des Moines Register,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Advertisement Submissions of organizational information, along with alumni feedback and input from experienced business-building professionals, will be used to determine inclusion in the America’s Top Incubators & Accelerators 2026 ranking, publishing in August.—
TIME Staff,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
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With Texas’ loss, UConn received all 32 first-place votes for its first unanimous top ranking of the season.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The solution targets coastal erosion, flooding, and structural instability while addressing plastic waste at scale.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Jan. 2026
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Known since the late 1980s for using erasure as a concept, Simmons extends his practice here into an architectural scale, transforming the main gallery into a vast blackboard environment where images emerge, blur, and refuse to fully disappear.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ladder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ladder. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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