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rank and file

 - 6 dictionary results

rank and file

 
Use rank and file in a Sentence
–noun
1. the members of a group or organization apart from its leaders or officers.
2. rank 1 (def. 7a).
Origin:
1590–1600

Related forms:
rank-and-file, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rank and file
rank and file  
n.  

  1. The enlisted troops, excluding noncommissioned officers, in an army.

  2. The people who form the major portion of a group, organization, or society, excluding the leaders and officers.

rank'-and-file' (rāngk'ən-fīl') adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

rank and file

The people who form the major portion of any group or organization, excluding the leaders: “The rumors of corruption at the top disturbed the party's rank and file.” This phrase comes from military usage, where enlisted men march in ranks (close abreast) and files (one behind another), whereas officers march outside these formations.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
rank and file

  1. n.
    the common members of something. : What will the rank and file think of the proposal?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: rank and file
Function: noun
: the general membership of a union
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

rank and file

Followers, the general membership, as in This new senator really appeals to the rank and file in the labor unions. This expression comes from the military, where a rank denotes soldiers standing side by side in a row, and file refers to soldiers standing behind one another. The first recorded figurative use of this term was in 1860.

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