rank
rank Lexical Profile
rank Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A position, grade, or level within the hierarchy of the armed forces, a profession, or an organization.
"She rose rapidly through the department to attain the rank of senior director."
The ordinary members of an organization, profession, or military force, as distinct from its leaders or officers (usually in the plural).
"Discontent among the party's ranks forced the leadership to revise the proposal."
A single line or row of people or objects, especially soldiers standing side by side or one of the eight horizontal rows of squares on a chessboard.
"The rook advanced to the eighth rank and put the opposing king in check."
High social standing, eminence, or noble status within society.
"In the nineteenth-century novel, characters of wealth and rank controlled the local parish."
British A designated place where taxis park and wait in line for passengers.
"We walked outside the train station and joined the queue at the taxi rank."
• verb
To hold or occupy a specified position or level within a hierarchy or scale.
"Renewable energy now ranks among the region's fastest-growing industries."
To assign a specific grade, position, or relative standing to someone or something on a scale of quality, importance, or achievement.
"The annual survey ranks universities according to research output and student satisfaction."
To arrange objects or people in a row or regular formation.
"Tall porcelain vases were ranked neatly along the mantelpiece."
• adjective
Having a foul, stale, or offensive smell or taste, typically due to decay or rancidity.
"The forgotten gym clothes in the locker emitted a rank odor that filled the hallway."
Complete and utter (used as an intensifier before nouns denoting something undesirable or negative).
"Leaving the sensitive documents unlocked on the table was an act of rank carelessness."
Growing too thickly, coarsely, or profusely (especially of vegetation or weeds).
"The abandoned orchard was choked with rank nettles and thorny brambles."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Rank' comprises two historically distinct homonyms: the noun and verb relate to a row, tier, or hierarchical standing, whereas the adjective means foul-smelling, overgrown, or utter. In its intensifying sense meaning 'complete' or 'absolute' (as in 'rank amateur' or 'rank stupidity'), the adjective is used exclusively before negative or undesirable nouns.
• Rhymes for rank
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun and verb derive from Old French 'ranc' (row, line), of Germanic origin and related to 'ring'. The adjective represents a separate word from Old English 'ranc', originally meaning 'proud, strong, or overbearing', which later evolved through 'growing too luxuriantly' to 'foul-smelling' and 'utter'.