rung
rung Lexical Profile
rung Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A horizontal support on a ladder for a person's foot, or a strengthening crossbar between the legs of a chair.
"She paused on the top rung of the wooden ladder to paint the ceiling corner."
A level or rank within a social, professional, or organizational hierarchy.
"Starting in the mailroom, he worked his way up from the lowest rung of the corporate ladder."
• verb
To have made a clear, resonant, or vibrating sound, or to have caused a bell or alarm to sound (past participle of ring).
"By the time we reached the lecture hall, the morning bell had already rung."
British To have called someone by telephone (past participle of ring).
"She had rung the clinic twice that morning to confirm her appointment."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse the homophones 'rung' and 'wrung' (the past tense and past participle of 'wring', meaning to twist or squeeze). Additionally, as a form of 'ring', 'rung' is strictly the past participle used with an auxiliary verb ('The bell has rung'), whereas 'rang' is the simple past tense ('The bell rang').
• Rhymes for rung
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun derives from Old English hrung ('rod, crossbar, or staff'), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning 'stout pole'. The verb form is the irregular past participle of 'ring', from Old English hringan.