as in hierarchies
a scheme of rank or order
their team placed third on the tournament ladder
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Recent Examples of ladders
First responders brought ladders to help people off the train cars and predicted that the evacuation could take up to two hours.
—
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
For Gen Z, that could mean inventing new career paths, blending skills across disciplines, or building opportunities rather than waiting for traditional ladders to reappear.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
No state builds more ladders to success or sees around more corners.
—Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Plus, removing sea lions from this delicate system may simply allow another predator to swoop in, including the many birds and other fish that also prey on salmon working their way through ladders.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
That’s allowed for more space for fire ladders, ambulances and engines — including the first electric engine in the state — to keep up with increasing call volume.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Ceiling frescoes chart the evolution of human knowledge, while the tall walnut shelves and rolling ladders speak to a working library built for active study rather than display.
—Navya Verma, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2026
Standard fire truck ladders are 35 feet long, Mitchell said.
—Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
The Cybertrucks are each equipped with shotguns, shields, and ladders — signaling a move toward modernization in policing.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
For Gen Z, that could mean inventing new career paths, blending skills across disciplines, or building opportunities rather than waiting for traditional ladders to reappear.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
No state builds more ladders to success or sees around more corners.
—Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Plus, removing sea lions from this delicate system may simply allow another predator to swoop in, including the many birds and other fish that also prey on salmon working their way through ladders.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
That’s allowed for more space for fire ladders, ambulances and engines — including the first electric engine in the state — to keep up with increasing call volume.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
Ceiling frescoes chart the evolution of human knowledge, while the tall walnut shelves and rolling ladders speak to a working library built for active study rather than display.
—Navya Verma, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2026
Standard fire truck ladders are 35 feet long, Mitchell said.
—Susan Gill Vardon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
The Cybertrucks are each equipped with shotguns, shields, and ladders — signaling a move toward modernization in policing.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ladders
Noun
-
The liberal impulse — insistence that injustice isn’t cured by patience, willingness to reform systems that calcify into maladministration — can keep institutions from becoming the archives of old hierarchies.—
Robert T.F. Downes,
Hartford Courant,
6 Jan. 2026
-
With a plot reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice, Behind Five Willows explores what happens when a young woman from a poor family and a wealthy, respectable son of a noble decide to challenge government censorship and the strict social hierarchies that shape their lives.—
Caroline Carlson,
Literary Hub,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
From eye masks for red-eye flights to travel makeup bags, packing cubes, luggage scales, and more, these are the tools that keep overpacking (and overthinking) at bay.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Charts use different vertical scales.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The charges are in connection with incidents that allegedly occurred while Busfield was a director on the second season of the FOX series The Cleaning Lady, which aired in 2022.—
Daniel S. Levine,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Here are the 31 open spaces — and the reasons they were chosen — that were featured in this series from the people highlighted in 2025.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ladders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ladders. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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