as in masses
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite
the chosen few might have the opportunity for a trip in the space shuttle, but it will be a while before the rank and file are taking space trips
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and files
Noun
-
Museums are sincerely trying to connect with their publics (even if these are often cast as consumers), and the horizon for that experiment is almost limitless.—
Katy Siegel,
Artforum,
2 June 2026 -
European publics are less diplomatic.—
Ivan Krastev,
Time,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
On Sunday, crowds of people gathered to honor the victims of last year's attack on a march for Israeli hostages.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
From junior games on pitches every weekend, to crowds piling into pubs to watch England play the World Cup, football, as it is called outside of the United States, is deeply ingrained in the British national psyche.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Rank and files.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20files. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
