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
More recently, he’s publicly called for more rank and file public involvement in government.
—
David Jeans, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Speaker Johnson is facing a major test in his effort to rally his rank and file.
3:23
House Republican leaders plan to move forward with a vote on the budget plan Tuesday night despite opposition from at least four Republicans, leaning on President Donald Trump to help convince the holdouts.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
That set of three weeks of chaos when several top GOP leaders failed to secure enough support to get the gavel until Johnson, then a rank and file conservative member of the House Judiciary panel, was nominated with unanimous support.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 3 Jan. 2025
Berkeley is struggling to retain city workers, both rank and file and key top administrators.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
David Jeans, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Speaker Johnson is facing a major test in his effort to rally his rank and file.
3:23
House Republican leaders plan to move forward with a vote on the budget plan Tuesday night despite opposition from at least four Republicans, leaning on President Donald Trump to help convince the holdouts.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
That set of three weeks of chaos when several top GOP leaders failed to secure enough support to get the gavel until Johnson, then a rank and file conservative member of the House Judiciary panel, was nominated with unanimous support.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 3 Jan. 2025
Berkeley is struggling to retain city workers, both rank and file and key top administrators.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
-
The result was a big surprise to much of the boxing public.—
Josh Katzowitz,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Cutting away advisory panels hurts everyone and leaves the U.S. government uninformed when making critical decisions that affect millions of lives, alongside a public left in the dark about what advice agencies do receive.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Historian William Dalrymple traces the current sectarian divisions to the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, who shattered the empire’s religious pluralism by trying to impose orthodox Islam on the populace.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
-
But those environmentalists would have recognized, at least a little, the political climate: a corrupt Republican Administration and an energized populace willing to take to the streets.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The pontiff, who had been facing major health issues in the past several weeks, used an aide, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to deliver his Easter Sunday speech to a crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Stylistically, Murphy runs cooler than Sanders and AOC, who draw energy from crowds.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Hanni’s Water Balm Mist was made precisely for people who don’t want to lather on lotion.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The crowd, estimated by Italian police at 200,000, included many young people, some of whom had planned to visit Rome before the death of Francis on April 21.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
On April 17, two people were killed and six others were wounded in a mass shooting at Florida State University.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Thousands of people participated in a march against Ireland's mass migration policies in the country's capital of Dublin on Saturday.—
Danielle Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There’s also another layer to the twins’ mob heist, which is that Capone had ties to the U.S. government, fostering a relationship between organized crime and government officials that would increase following World War II.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
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Reporters from around the country followed the case, which marked the first time ever that prosecutors would play for a jury a surreptitious FBI recording of mob soldiers taking the oath of omerta during a mafia initiation ceremony.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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