as in public
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rank and file
The city’s transit supervisors are set to vote against the MTA rank and file in the upcoming primary for Gotham’s comptroller.
—
Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
Gingrich relished partisan warfare, demanded loyalty from his rank and file, and turned district elections into contests between the national parties.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Before a small crowd of Gallo’s rank and file officers, Fisk placed the commish’s melon between his meaty palms, squeeeeeeezed….
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 15 Apr. 2025
White House spokesman Kush Desai indicated that Fain’s praise puts him in league with his union’s rank and file.
—Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
Gingrich relished partisan warfare, demanded loyalty from his rank and file, and turned district elections into contests between the national parties.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
Before a small crowd of Gallo’s rank and file officers, Fisk placed the commish’s melon between his meaty palms, squeeeeeeezed….
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 15 Apr. 2025
White House spokesman Kush Desai indicated that Fain’s praise puts him in league with his union’s rank and file.
—Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
-
While Mojtaba is ideologically aligned with his father, Khomeini is viewed as a more moderate figure who could appeal to a discontented public and ease international tensions.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
-
The information available to the voting public focuses typically on the findings of a routine physical exam, resting electrocardiogram and standard laboratory tests.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
This offers the populace some measure of accountability and contributes to the expectation that officers will perform their legal duties in keeping with their own departmental policies and within the boundaries of the law.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
8 June 2025
-
Imagine arriving in Florence ready to guide and instruct the populace and instead being tussled over like a toy between two toddlers!—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Give it another year and operators are looking at a crowd of 37.7 million customers at the end of September 2026; one more trip around the sun further diminishes the count to around 33.3 million.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 June 2025
-
There’s no question who is really at fault for all the misdirection: Donald Trump, a man who has been obsessed with size—whether measured in square footage, crowd attendance or net worth—for years.—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
The men’s team has already qualified for the World Cup in 2026, meaning a third appearance at a men’s World Cup for a nation of just over five million people.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
-
Pastor Carlos Rincon, who leads a Pentecostal church in East Los Angeles, said that about 400 people used to attend his church every week, people with roots in Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
An atomic bomb relies on specific, precisely engineered and timed conditions to create a supercritical mass and initiate a chain reaction.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
-
Within the first few days after the injury, a blastema—a mass of heterogeneous cells—formed at the wound site.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
He’s been trying really from the beginning to bring the 10 Black mob families together.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
23 June 2025
-
The easily walkable Freedom Trail stretches 2.5 miles to connect almost all the sites, such as Old State House where a 1770 clash between a mob of citizens and soldiers (the Boston Massacre) left five people dead.—
Lisa Meyers McClintick,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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