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
Since the election, he's made overtures to try to start on the right foot, including by holding early meetings with caucus leaders and some rank and file.
—
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The militia’s rank and file, meanwhile, was shattered first by pagers, then walkie-talkies that detonated in their hands, having been boobytrapped by Mossad.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 June 2025
The town is bleeding amid runaway production, audience apathy and a widening gap between the 1% and the industry’s rank and file.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 22 May 2025
Recent encounters between Colombian law enforcement and armed groups suggest that children make up an alarming portion of their rank and file.
—Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Affairs, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The militia’s rank and file, meanwhile, was shattered first by pagers, then walkie-talkies that detonated in their hands, having been boobytrapped by Mossad.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 June 2025
The town is bleeding amid runaway production, audience apathy and a widening gap between the 1% and the industry’s rank and file.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 22 May 2025
Recent encounters between Colombian law enforcement and armed groups suggest that children make up an alarming portion of their rank and file.
—Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Affairs, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
-
More generally, the Nepalese public criticized the government’s measures disproportionate impact on ordinary users.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
That's significant because the Environmental Protection Agency cited it in its attempts to roll back its prior finding that greenhouse gases posed a danger to the US public.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Today, the best fashion schools have made sustainability a core principle, and the designers graduating from the world’s best design programs, like Nale, are looking at their future careers through a different lens than what the general populace is used to expecting from Fashion.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Rather than unifying and pacifying a populace, this kind of media encouraged idiosyncratic, extreme views.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Giants' pass rush should get a boost from the home crowd and prevent this from being easy for Patrick Mahomes and Co.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Other clips depict engines roaring with huge crowds and fireworks being set off.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The gun is a popular rifle used to hunt bigger game and has a markedly different design and function than the modern semiautomatic assault rifles that have made headlines in high-profile mass shootings.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Moments before the shooting, an audience member asked him how many recent mass shootings were conducted by transgender shooters.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The cut was used in a flash mob video posted by Julian Cohen, known for live musical performances and large gatherings of singers and performers.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Initially dismissed as an accident, Charles, Oliver and Mabel dive headfirst into the investigation, uncovering a sprawling conspiracy that stretches beyond the building’s walls and entangles New York’s old mob families with its newest billionaires.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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