What does "rank" mean?
A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers.
Rank
/ɹæŋk/ adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers.
- Grammar: rank is listed as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abject, abominable, absolute, absolute.
- Useful contrasts: nice, benign, demote.
- Usage evidence: The hierarchy of rank has long been fixed.
How to use "rank"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rank" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rank" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rank" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rank" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rank" is acting as adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abject" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rank", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers. countable, uncountable
"The front rank kneeled to reload while the second rank fired over their heads."
- 2 the ordinary members of an organization (such as the enlisted soldiers of an army) wordnet
- 3 One of the eight horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard (i.e., those identified by a number). countable, uncountable
- 4 the body of members of an organization or group wordnet
- 5 The value of a playing card. countable, uncountable
"The ranks are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace."
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another wordnet
- 7 In a pipe organ, a set of pipes of a certain quality for which each pipe corresponds to one key or pedal. countable, uncountable
- 8 position in a social hierarchy wordnet
- 9 One's position in a list sorted by a shared property such as physical location, population, popularity, or quality. countable, uncountable
"Based on your test scores, you have a rank of 23."
- 10 relative status wordnet
- 11 The level of one's position in a class-based society. countable, uncountable
- 12 A category of people, such as those who share an occupation or belong to an organisation. countable, uncountable
"a membership drawn from the ranks of wealthy European businessmen"
- 13 A hierarchical level in an organization such as the military. countable, uncountable
"Private First Class (PFC) is the second-lowest rank in the Marines."
- 14 A level in a scientific taxonomy system. countable, uncountable
"Phylum is the taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class."
- 15 The dimensionality of an array (computing) or tensor. countable, uncountable
- 16 The maximal number of linearly independent columns (or rows) of a matrix. countable, uncountable
- 17 The maximum quantity of D-linearly independent elements of a module (over an integral domain D). countable, uncountable
- 18 The size of any basis of a given matroid. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To place abreast or in a line. transitive
"She [Diana] hath ſent (to plague vs) a huge ſauadge Boare, / Of an vn-meaſured height and magnitude. / […] / His briſtles poynted like a range of pikes / Ranck't on his backe: his foame ſnovves vvhere he feeds / His tuskes are like the Indian Oliphants."
- 2 assign a rank or rating to wordnet
- 3 To have a ranking. intransitive
"Their defense ranked third in the league."
- 4 take or have a position relative to others wordnet
- 5 To assign a suitable place in a class or order; to classify. transitive
"Ranking all things under general and special heads."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 take precedence or surpass others in rank wordnet
- 7 To take the rank of; to outrank. US, transitive
Adjective
- 1 Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.; Strong in growth; growing with vigour or rapidity, hence, coarse or gross. obsolete
"rank grass"
- 2 Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.; Strong in growth; growing with vigour or rapidity, hence, coarse or gross.; Causing strong growth; producing luxuriantly; rich and fertile. obsolete
"rank land"
- 3 Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.; Strong in growth; growing with vigour or rapidity, hence, coarse or gross.; Suffering from overgrowth or hypertrophy; plethoric. obsolete
"The moon had spread over everything a thin layer of silver—over the rank grass, over the mud, upon the wall of matted vegetation standing higher than the wall of a temple […]"
- 4 Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.; Strong to the senses; offensive; noisome. obsolete
- 5 Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.; Strong to the senses; offensive; noisome.; Gross, disgusting, foul. informal, obsolete
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Strong; powerful; capable of acting or being used with great effect; energetic; vigorous; headstrong.; Headstrong; difficult to control. obsolete
"If Safford happens to be driving a "rank" horse, one that insists on getting away fast, he goes along with the rest, […]"
- 7 Having a very strong and bad taste or odor. dated
"Your gym clothes are rank, bro – when'd you last wash 'em?"
- 8 complete, unmitigated, utter. emphatic, intensifier, negative
"rank treason"
- 9 lustful; lascivious obsolete
"the ewes being rank, In end of autumn turned to the rams"
Adjective
- 1 growing profusely wordnet
- 2 complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers wordnet
- 3 conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible wordnet
- 4 very fertile; producing profuse growth wordnet
- 5 very offensive in smell or taste wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Quickly, eagerly, impetuously. obsolete
"The seely man seeing him ryde so rancke, / And ayme at him, fell flat to ground for feare […]."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The hierarchy of rank has long been fixed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rank"?
Common synonyms include: abject, abominable, absolute, absolute, abundant, acrid.
How do you use "rank" in a sentence?
The hierarchy of rank has long been fixed.
How do you pronounce "rank"?
Pronounced /ɹæŋk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English rank (“strong, proud”), from Old English ranc (“proud, haughty, arrogant, insolent, forward, overbearing, showy, ostentatious, splendid, bold, valiant, noble, brave, strong, full-grown, mature”), from Proto-West Germanic *rank, from Proto-Germanic *rankaz (“straight”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“straight, direct”). Cognate with Dutch rank (“slender, slim”), Low German rank (“slender, projecting, lank”), Danish rank (“straight, erect, slender”), Swedish rank (“slender, shaky, wonky”), Icelandic rakkur (“straight, slender, bold, valiant”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English rank (“line, row”), from Old French ranc, rang, reng (“line, row, rank”) (Modern French rang), from Frankish *hring (“ring”), from Proto-Germanic *hringaz (“something bent or curved”). Akin to Old High German (h)ring, Old Frisian hring, Old English hring, hrincg (“ring”), Old Norse hringr (“ring, circle, queue, sword; ship”). Doublet of ring and rink.