Nearby Words
Synonyms
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.
EXPANDrelative 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, especially 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.
COLLAPSEMining. 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.
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Ranks
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
verb (used without object)
Idioms20.
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.
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; < French ranc (noun, obsolete), Old French renc, ranc, rang row, line < Germanic, akin to ring1
1560–70; < French ranc (noun, obsolete), Old French renc, ranc, rang row, line < Germanic, akin to ring1
Related forms
rank·less, adjective
un·ranked, adjective
Synonyms
3. distinction, eminence, dignity. 6. range, tier. 9. alignment. 16. align, range, array.
3. distinction, eminence, dignity. 6. range, tier. 9. alignment. 16. align, range, array.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To ranks
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
rank
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
EXPAND mid-13c. Sense evolved in M.E. to "large and coarse" (c.1300), then, via notion of "excessive and unpleasant," to "having a strong bad smell" (1520s). 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.)).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
rank (so) (out) definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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