Rank | Mean of rank in English Dictionary

/ˈræŋk/

• Noun
• a position in a society, organization, group, etc.
1. people of high rank and profession
2. She's not concerned about rank or wealth.
3. Unlike in chess, all the game pieces in checkers are of equal rank. [=value]
4. officers with the rank of captain
5. He rose to the rank of partner in the law firm.
6. He longed to join the upper social ranks.
7. military ranks such as private, corporal, and sergeant
8. He moved up/rose through the ranks to become vice president of the company.
9. a photographer in the front rank [=an excellent photographer]
10. a writer of the first rank [=an excellent writer]
• a high position in a society, organization, group, etc.
1. Expensive cars are sometimes seen as a badge of rank.
2. The guest lecturer is a novelist of rank [=of high regard; of esteem] who has won many prestigious awards.
• the people or things that belong to a particular organization or group
1. A company spokesperson announced that the company will be decreasing its ranks by 200. [=laying off 200 employees]
2. The organization's ranks have doubled in the past two years.
3. The restaurant has made it to the city's front ranks. [=the restaurant is one of the best in the city]
4. More older adults are choosing to join the ranks of college students.
5. the growing/swelling ranks of vegetarians

• the people in the army, navy, air force, etc., who are not officers
1. The flu swept through the ranks, infecting almost every soldier.
2. Several men were selected from the ranks.
• a row of people or things
1. The troops stood in ranks.
2. Twelve soldiers stood in the front rank.
• to step out of a line
1. The soldier was disciplined for breaking ranks.
• to no longer agree with or support a person or group
1. The senator decided to break ranks with others in his party and support the proposal.
2. One scientist has broken ranks with her colleagues and questioned the research.
• to join together to support or protect someone or something that is in trouble
1. The police officers closed ranks when their captain was being investigated for misconduct.
2. The family closed ranks to protect one of their own.
• to use your high position in a society, organization, group, etc., to order someone to do something or to get special treatment or privileges
1. He's their boss, but he doesn't like to pull rank (on them) if he can avoid it.
• Verb
• to place (someone or something) in a particular position among a group of people or things that are being judged according to quality, ability, size, etc.
1. A magazine recently ranked the school as one of the best in the country.
2. The museum is ranked among the best in the U.S.
3. The young gymnast is ranked fifth in the world.
• to have a particular position in a group of people or things that are being judged according to quality, ability, size, etc.
1. The city currently ranks as the world's largest.
2. Our professor ranks with/among the best in her field. [=is one of the best in her field]
3. This kind of mistake ranks right up there with [=is as bad as] forgetting your mother's birthday.
4. Students who rank in the top third of their class have a better chance of being accepted to the college of their choice.
• to arrange (people or things) in a line or row
1. The books were neatly ranked in rows.
• having a strong, unpleasant smell
1. the rank [=foul] smell of the alley
2. a rank odor
• very bad and obvious
1. His rank [=flagrant] dishonesty makes it impossible to trust him.
2. rank [=glaring] hypocrisy
• complete or total
1. You can't expect a rank beginner like her to know all the rules of the game.
• growing too quickly and over too much land
1. rank weeds