Library / English Dictionary |
RANK
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The ordinary members of an organization (such as the enlisted soldiers of an army)
Example:
he rose from the ranks to become a colonel
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("rank" is a kind of...):
force; personnel (group of people willing to obey orders)
Meronyms (members of "rank"):
enlisted man (a male enlisted person in the armed forces)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The body of members of an organization or group
Example:
he joined the ranks of the unemployed
Synonyms:
membership; rank
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("rank" is a kind of...):
body (a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity)
Holonyms ("rank" is a member of...):
organisation; organization (a group of people who work together)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
Example:
the entrance was guarded by ranks of policemen
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("rank" is a kind of...):
line (a formation of people or things one beside another)
Meronyms (members of "rank"):
end man (a man at one end of a row of people)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Position in a social hierarchy
Example:
the British are more aware of social status than Americans are
Synonyms:
rank; social rank; social station; social status
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("rank" is a kind of...):
position; status (the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rank"):
place; station (proper or designated social situation)
quality (high social status)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Example:
his salary was determined by his rank and seniority
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("rank" is a kind of...):
position; status (the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rank"):
fiftieth (position 50 in a countable series of things)
sixtieth (position 60 in a countable series of things)
seventieth (position 70 in a countable series of things)
eightieth (position 80 in a countable series of things)
ninetieth (position 90 in a countable series of things)
hundredth (position 100 in a countable series of things)
thousandth (position 1,000 in a countable series of things)
millionth (position 1,000,000 in a countable series of things)
billionth (position 1,000,000,000 in a countable series of things)
last (the last or lowest in an ordering or series)
grade; level; tier (a relative position or degree of value in a graded group)
gradation; step (relative position in a graded series)
second class (not the highest rank in a classification)
military rank; military rating; paygrade; rating (rank in a military organization)
archidiaconate (office or position of an archdeacon)
baronetcy; barony (the rank or dignity or position of a baronet or baroness)
dukedom (the dignity or rank or position of a duke)
earldom (the dignity or rank or position of an earl or countess)
kingship (the dignity or rank or position of a king)
princedom (the dignity or rank or position of a prince)
viscountcy; viscounty (the dignity or rank or position of a viscount or viscountess)
first; number one (the first or highest in an ordering or series)
second (following the first in an ordering or series)
third (following the second position in an ordering or series)
fourth (following the third position; number four in a countable series)
fifth (position five in a countable series of things)
sixth (position six in a countable series of things)
seventh (position seven in a countable series of things)
eighth (position eight in a countable series of things)
ninth (position nine in a countable series of things)
tenth (position ten in a countable series of things)
eleventh (position 11 in a countable series of things)
twelfth (position 12 in a countable series of things)
thirteenth (position 13 in a countable series of things)
fourteenth (position 14 in a countable series of things)
fifteenth (position 15 in a countable series of things)
sixteenth (position 16 in a countable series of things)
seventeenth (position 17 in a countable series of things)
eighteenth (position 18 in a countable series of things)
nineteenth (position 19 in a countable series of things)
twentieth (position 20 in a countable series of things)
thirtieth (position 30 in a countable series of things)
fortieth (position 40 in a countable series of things)
Derivation:
rank (assign a rank or rating to)
rank (take or have a position relative to others)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Example:
rank jungle vegetation
Classified under:
Similar:
abundant (present in great quantity)
Derivation:
rankness (the property of producing abundantly and sustaining vigorous and luxuriant growth)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
Example:
sheer stupidity
Synonyms:
absolute; downright; out-and-out; rank; right-down; sheer
Classified under:
Similar:
complete (having every necessary or normal part or component or step)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
Example:
rank treachery
Synonyms:
crying; egregious; flagrant; glaring; gross; rank
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
conspicuous (obvious to the eye or mind)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Very fertile; producing profuse growth
Example:
rank earth
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
fertile (capable of reproducing)
Derivation:
rankness (the property of producing abundantly and sustaining vigorous and luxuriant growth)
Sense 5
Meaning:
Very offensive in smell or taste
Example:
a rank cigar
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
offensive (unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses)
Derivation:
rankness (the attribute of having a strong offensive smell)
III. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they rank ... he / she / it ranks
Past simple: ranked
-ing form: ranking
Sense 1
Meaning:
Example:
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
Synonyms:
grade; order; place; range; rank; rate
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Hypernyms (to "rank" is one way to...):
evaluate; judge; pass judgment (form a critical opinion of)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "rank"):
upgrade (rate higher; raise in value or esteem)
downgrade (rate lower; lower in value or esteem)
sequence (arrange in a sequence)
prioritise; prioritize (assign a priority to)
subordinate (rank or order as less important or consider of less value)
reorder (assign a new order to)
seed (distribute (players or teams) so that outstanding teams or players will not meet in the early rounds)
shortlist (put someone or something on a short list)
superordinate (place in a superior order or rank)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Derivation:
rank (relative status)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Take or have a position relative to others
Example:
This painting ranks among the best in the Western World
Classified under:
Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting
Hypernyms (to "rank" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "rank"):
come in; come out; place (take a place in a competition; often followed by an ordinal)
come (have a certain priority)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Derivation:
rank (relative status)
ranker (an enlisted soldier who serves in the ranks of the armed forces)
ranker (a commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted status)
ranking (position on a scale in relation to others in status or rank or achievement)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Take precedence or surpass others in rank
Synonyms:
outrank; rank
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Hypernyms (to "rank" is one way to...):
excel; stand out; surpass (distinguish oneself)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Context examples:
It was only my station, and the rank of my wife, that you valued?
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
My dear Watson, said he, I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Brazil ranks tenth for preterm birth, with approximately 300 thousand premature babies every year—11.7% of the total births in the country.
(Early birth main cause of child death in Brazil, Agência Brasil)
The average U.S. temperature in 2016 was 54.9 degrees F (2.9 degrees F above average), which ranked as the second warmest year in 122 years of record-keeping.
(2016 was 2nd warmest year on record for U.S., NOAA)
Analyses from the United Kingdom Met Office and the World Meteorological Organization also ranked 2017 among the top three warmest years on record.
(2017 was 3rd warmest year on record for the globe, NOAA)
His son was bred in the service of his country, and Agatha had ranked with ladies of the highest distinction.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
The highest taxonomic rank, immediately above phylum or division.
(Kingdom, NCI Thesaurus)
Whipping up the little woman, he lifted her lightly to his lips, and then, taking his place in the ranks again, marched on with the laughing Company.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
To find a father and a mother, a new name and a new rank in a few minutes might turn a stronger brain than ever mine was.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Our habits of expense make us too dependent, and there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry without some attention to money.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)