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
The book zeros in on the lower rungs of the masthead, and the way underpaid entry level staffers fueled the machine that shaped our culture, from fashion to fitness to home décor.
—
New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Over the decades, these paths were reinforced with metal rungs, and today they’re used for sport.
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 8 Oct. 2025
To match the look, hang antique grain sacks off the rungs of a ladder before leaning it against the wall by your front door.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
High interest rates may not compensate for the risk at the lower rungs.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Over the decades, these paths were reinforced with metal rungs, and today they’re used for sport.
—Jen Murphy, Outside, 8 Oct. 2025
To match the look, hang antique grain sacks off the rungs of a ladder before leaning it against the wall by your front door.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Sep. 2025
High interest rates may not compensate for the risk at the lower rungs.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rungs
Noun
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She was assigned to the EVOLVE brand before she was let go in October as part of a revamp of the company's developmental ranks.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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The move also helps Netflix compete with YouTube, which has risen in ranks as the most popular platform for podcasts.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
To help your plants establish, make sure to get potted raspberries in the ground at least 4 to 6 weeks before frost is expected, or choose bare root canes, which are dormant and can be planted even later in the season, as long as the ground isn't frozen.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Avoid long or sharp swords, sticks or canes to prevent injury if a child trips and falls.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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From the ways in which games are developed to hacks for completing levels, Tan said the technology's ramifications across the sector can't be overstated.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
1 Nov. 2025
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As lawmakers and top officials at the federal and state levels attempt to shift blame, the shutdown is poised to upend social services across the country.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Dozens of agents swarmed the area along with a military vehicle, Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, told USA TODAY, saying agents used batons and mace on demonstrators.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
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Today his agents used batons and pepper spray on street vendors and bystanders on Canal Street.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His passing, while not expected to immediately alter the balance of power—given his retirement from the Supreme People’s Assembly in 2019—underscores a generational shift in North Korea’s upper echelons.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Grey typically isn’t a colour associated with fun, but the background, lettering, stripe down the middle and sleeve design, have defied logic to propel the Raiders into the higher echelons of these rankings.—
Ajay Rose,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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About 400 staff positions across the KC-area Head Start sites are also at risk if the sites close permanently, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said earlier this month.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Smith said that the county, which has gone through years of budget tightening, is not OK with paying its workers below median rates, but has had to be selective in which positions to fund more comparably to similar counties.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Her poetry and prose have appeared in such places as The New Yorker, Ploughshares, American Poetry Review, and the Los Angeles Review of Books.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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He was surrounded by a ground crew that included Farzam, who slipped out of a bodysuit and switched places with the stuntman.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rungs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rungs. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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