1
as in ranks
the placement of someone or something in relation to others in a vertical arrangement
the greasy spoon restaurant was several rungs below the kind of establishment in which we usually dined
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in canes
Scottish
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
the watchman usually carried a stout oak rung
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rungs
His fashions came at a time when women were climbing the rungs of the corporate ladder and needed to dress accordingly.
—
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Reputation and Folklore Soar Swift fills eight spaces on the Top Album Sales chart, which features 50 rungs.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
While that investment factored into their ability to draw an invitation to join the Pac-12 in 2026, the conference the Rams are joining is still multiple rungs below the upper echelon of college athletics.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Commuting daily into Israel to work in sectors such as construction, agriculture, and industry, Palestinians filled the lowest rungs of the Israeli labor market and covered some of the labour shortfall caused by prolonged military service for the Jewish citizens of Israel.
—Literary Hub
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
All of those players had staggering underlying records on the second and third rungs of the tennis circuit, while Atmane has produced an old-fashioned heater.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
The sloppy joe is an unsung icon of Americana cooking, several rungs down the ladder of respectability from its more celebrated quick-serve cousins, such as the hamburger and the chili dog.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025
In short vertical videos, Klymenko stands on the back rungs of a ladder, inviting one guest at a time to hop on the front side.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Reputation and Folklore Soar Swift fills eight spaces on the Top Album Sales chart, which features 50 rungs.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
While that investment factored into their ability to draw an invitation to join the Pac-12 in 2026, the conference the Rams are joining is still multiple rungs below the upper echelon of college athletics.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
Commuting daily into Israel to work in sectors such as construction, agriculture, and industry, Palestinians filled the lowest rungs of the Israeli labor market and covered some of the labour shortfall caused by prolonged military service for the Jewish citizens of Israel.
—Literary Hub
august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
All of those players had staggering underlying records on the second and third rungs of the tennis circuit, while Atmane has produced an old-fashioned heater.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
The sloppy joe is an unsung icon of Americana cooking, several rungs down the ladder of respectability from its more celebrated quick-serve cousins, such as the hamburger and the chili dog.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025
In short vertical videos, Klymenko stands on the back rungs of a ladder, inviting one guest at a time to hop on the front side.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rungs
Noun
-
Leeds are tipped to survive the drop after adding Premier League experience and European talent to their ranks.—
Jack Bantock,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Like college coaches, social media gurus work their way through the ranks of the industry, and in an age where all eyeballs can attract revenues and sponsorships and ultimately, more money in the pockets of players and recruits in a competitive marketplace, Lazarus and his colleagues are valuable.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Cracker Barrel in Belleville still has lots of space between the tables, which is good, because a statistically improbable number of customers the other morning were using canes or walkers.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Fennell explained that grapevine canes, the woody stems that support grape clusters, are an abundant, cellulose-rich material, and are available in the large quantities each year after harvest.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Two of the missions with uncertain futures monitor carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Spanning more than 12,636 square feet over three levels, the unit carries men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, eyewear and beauty collections.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The officers used batons and the butts of their rifles to strike the men in the face, neck, chest, and abdomen.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This is not just the violence of batons or bullets, but the quieter devastation inflicted by law through denial, deferral or bureaucratic neglect.—
Hansel Alejandro Aguilar,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Americans’ success was frustrating to Iran’s high echelons.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
But the Fed’s diversity problem hasn’t just been at the upper echelons of the institution.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In his novel Netherland, Joseph O’Neill describes the rhythm of fielding in cricket as ‘pulmonary’ — the fielders converging as one as the bowler runs in before reverting to their positions after each ball.—
James Wallace,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Saturday's opponent, Arkansas State, promises to have a much more dynamic attack with quarterback Jaylen Raynor and plenty of speed at the skill positions.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In a lot of places and for a lot of franchises, calling the season opener a must-win would be grossly overreacting.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Here are luckiest numbers, places to play Did anyone win Powerball drawing jackpot, Wednesday, September 3, 2025?—
Chris Sims,
IndyStar,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rungs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rungs. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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