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rank - 13 dictionary results
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rank

1  [rangk]
Use rank in a Sentence
–noun
1. a number of persons forming a separate class in a social hierarchy or in any graded body.
2. a social or official position or standing, as in the armed forces: the rank of captain.
3. high position or station in the social or some similar scale: a woman of rank.
4. a class in any scale of comparison.
5. relative position or standing: a writer of the first rank.
6. a row, line, or series of things or persons: orchestra players arranged in ranks.
7. ranks,
a. the members of an armed service apart from its officers; enlisted personnel.
b. military enlisted personnel as a group.
8. Usually, ranks. the general body of any party, society, or organization apart from the officers or leaders.
9. orderly arrangement; array.
10. a line of persons, esp. soldiers, standing abreast in close-order formation (distinguished from file ).
11. British. a place or station occupied by vehicles available for hire; stand: a taxi rank.
12. Chess. one of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard.
13. a set of organ pipes of the same kind and tonal color.
14. Also called determinant rank. Mathematics. the order of the nonzero determinant of greatest order that can be selected from a given matrix by the elimination of rows and columns.
15. Mining. the classification of coal according to hardness, from lignite to anthracite.
–verb (used with object)
16. to arrange in ranks or in regular formation: The men were ranked according to height. He ranked the chess pieces on the board.
17. to assign to a particular position, station, class, etc.: She was ranked among the most admired citizens.
18. to outrank: The colonel ranks all other officers in the squadron.
19. Slang. to insult; criticize.
–verb (used without object)
20. to form a rank or ranks.
21. to take up or occupy a place in a particular rank, class, etc.: to rank well ahead of the other students.
22. to have rank or standing.
23. to be the senior in rank: The colonel ranks at this camp.
24. Slang. to complain.
—Idioms
25. break ranks,
a. to leave an assigned position in a military formation.
b. to disagree with, defect from, or refuse to support one's colleagues, party, or the like.
26. pull rank (on), to make use of one's superior rank to gain an advantage over (someone). Also, pull one's rank (on).
Origin:
1560–70; < F ranc (n., obs.), OF renc, ranc, rang row, line < Gmc, akin to ring 1

Related forms:
rankless, adjective

Synonyms:
3. distinction, eminence, dignity. 6. range, tier. 9. alignment. 16. align, range, array.

rank

2  [rangk]
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. growing with excessive luxuriance; vigorous and tall of growth: tall rank weeds.
2. producing an excessive and coarse growth, as land.
3. having an offensively strong smell or taste: a rank cigar.
4. offensively strong, as a smell or taste.
5. utter; absolute: a rank amateur; rank treachery.
6. highly offensive; disgusting: a rank sight of carnage.
7. grossly coarse, vulgar, or indecent: rank language.
8. Slang. inferior; contemptible.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME; OE ranc bold, proud; c. ON rakkr straight, bold

Related forms:
rankish, adjective
rankly, adverb
rankness, noun

Synonyms:
1. abundant, exuberant. 5. complete, sheer, entire. 6. repulsive, repellent. See flagrant. 7. foul.

Rank

  [rahngk]
–noun
Ot⋅to  [awt-oh] , 1884–1939, Austrian psychoanalyst.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rank
rank 1   (rāngk)   
n.  
    1. A relative position in a society.
    2. An official position or grade: the rank of sergeant.
    3. A relative position or degree of value in a graded group.
    4. High or eminent station or position: persons of rank.
    5. A line of soldiers, vehicles, or equipment standing side by side in close order.
    6. ranks The armed forces.
    7. ranks Personnel, especially enlisted military personnel.
  2. A row, line, series, or range.
    1. A line of soldiers, vehicles, or equipment standing side by side in close order.
    2. ranks The armed forces.
    3. ranks Personnel, especially enlisted military personnel.
  4. ranks A body of people classed together; numbers: joined the ranks of the unemployed.
  5. Games Any of the rows of squares running crosswise to the files on a playing board in chess or checkers.
v.   ranked, rank·ing, ranks

v.   tr.
  1. To place in a row or rows.
  2. To give a particular order or position to; classify.
  3. To outrank or take precedence over.
v.   intr.
  1. To hold a particular rank: ranked first in the class.
  2. To form or stand in a row or rows.
  3. Slang
    1. To complain.
    2. To engage in carping criticism. Often used with on: Stop ranking on me all the time.

[Middle English, line, row, from Old French ranc, renc, of Germanic origin; see sker-2 in Indo-European roots.]
rank 2   (rāngk)   
adj.   rank·er, rank·est
  1. Growing profusely or with excessive vigor: rank vegetation in the jungle.
  2. Yielding a profuse, often excessive crop; highly fertile: rank earth.
  3. Strong and offensive in odor or flavor.
  4. Conspicuously offensive: rank treachery. See Synonyms at flagrant.
  5. Absolute; complete: a rank amateur; a rank stranger.

[Middle English ranc, from Old English, strong, overbearing; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]
rank'ly adv., rank'ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Rank

Rank\, a. [Compar. Ranker; superl. Rankest.] [AS. ranc strong, proud; cf. D. rank slender, Dan. rank upright, erect, Prov. G. rank slender, Icel. rakkr slender, bold. The meaning seems to have been influenced by L. rancidus, E. rancid.]

1. Luxuriant in growth; of vigorous growth; exuberant; grown to immoderate height; as, rank grass; rank weeds.

And, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. --Gen. xli. 5.

2. Raised to a high degree; violent; extreme; gross; utter; as, rank heresy. "Rank nonsense." --Hare. "I do forgive thy rankest fault." --Shak.

3. Causing vigorous growth; producing luxuriantly; very rich and fertile; as, rank land. --Mortimer.

4. Strong-scented; rancid; musty; as, oil of a rank smell; rank-smelling rue. --Spenser.

5. Strong to the taste. "Divers sea fowls taste rank of the fish on which they feed." --Boyle.

6. Inflamed with venereal appetite. [Obs.] --Shak.

Rank modus (Law), an excessive and unreasonable modus. See Modus, 3.

To set (the iron of a plane, etc.) rank, to set so as to take off a thick shaving. --Moxon.

Rank

Rank\, adv. Rankly; stoutly; violently. [Obs.]

That rides so rank and bends his lance so fell. --Fairfax.

Rank

Rank\, n. [OE. renk, reng, OF. renc, F. rang, fr. OHG. hring a circle, a circular row, G. ring. See Ring, and cf. Range, n. & v.]

1. A row or line; a range; an order; a tier; as, a rank of osiers.

Many a mountain nigh Rising in lofty ranks, and loftier still. --Byron.

2. (Mil.) A line of soldiers ranged side by side; -- opposed to file. See 1st File, 1 (a) .

Fierce, fiery warriors fought upon the clouds, In ranks and squadrons and right form of war. --Shak.

3. Grade of official standing, as in the army, navy, or nobility; as, the rank of general; the rank of admiral.

4. An aggregate of individuals classed together; a permanent social class; an order; a division; as, ranks and orders of men; the highest and the lowest ranks of men, or of other intelligent beings.

5. Degree of dignity, eminence, or excellence; position in civil or social life; station; degree; grade; as, a writer of the first rank; a lawyer of high rank.

These all are virtues of a meaner rank. --Addison.

6. Elevated grade or standing; high degree; high social position; distinction; eminence; as, a man of rank.

Rank and file. (a) (Mil.) The whole body of common soldiers, including also corporals. In a more extended sense, it includes sergeants also, excepting the noncommissioned staff.

(b) See under 1st File.

The ranks, the order or grade of common soldiers; as, to reduce a noncommissioned officer to the ranks.

To fill the ranks, to supply the whole number, or a competent number.

To take rank of, to have precedence over, or to have the right of taking a higher place than.

Rank

Rank\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ranked; p. pr. & vb. n. Ranking,]

1. To place abreast, or in a line.

2. To range in a particular class, order, or division; to class; also, to dispose methodically; to place in suitable classes or order; to classify.

Ranking all things under general and special heads. --I. Watts.

Poets were ranked in the class of philosophers. --Broome.

Heresy is ranked with idolatry and witchcraft. --Dr. H. More.

3. To take rank of; to outrank. [U.S.]

Rank

Rank\, v. i. 1. To be ranged; to be set or disposed, an in a particular degree, class, order, or division.

Let that one article rank with the rest. --Shak.

2. To have a certain grade or degree of elevation in the orders of civil or military life; to have a certain degree of esteem or consideration; as, he ranks with the first class of poets; he ranks high in public estimation.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : rank
Spanish: fila, hilera,
German: die Reihe,
Japanese: 列
More Translations »

rank  (n.)
early 14c., from O.Fr. ranc, from Frankish *hring (cf. O.H.G. hring "circle, ring"), from P.Gmc. *khrengaz "circle, ring" (see ring). Meaning "social position" is from c.1430; the verb sense of "put in order, classify" is from 1592. Rank and file is 1598, in reference to soldiers marching in formation, generalized to "common soldiers" (1796) and "common people" (1860). The verb meaning "to arrange things in order" is from 1590.

rank  (adj.)
O.E. ranc "proud, overbearing, showy," from P.Gmc. *rankaz (cf. Dan. rank "right, upright," Ger. rank "slender," O.N. rakkr "straight, erect"), perhaps from PIE *reg- "to stretch, straighten" (see right). In ref. to plant growth, "vigorous, luxuriant," it is recorded from c.1250. Sense evolved in M.E. to "large and coarse" (c.1300), then, via notion of "excessive and unpleasant," to "having a strong bad smell" (1529). Much used 16c. as a pejorative intensive (cf. rank folly). This is possibly the source of the verb meaning "to reveal another's guilt" (1929, underworld slang), and that of "to harass, abuse," 1934, U.S. black dialect, though this also may be from the role of the activity in establishing social hierarchy (from rank (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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rank

In addition to the idiom beginning with rank, also see break ranks; close ranks; pull rank; rise through the ranks.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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