- rank
- rank1 W3 [ræŋk] n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(position in army/organization)¦2 the ranks3 break ranks4¦(line)¦5 pull rank (on somebody)6¦(quality)¦7¦(social class)¦8¦(taxi)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: renc, reng 'line, place, row']1.) ¦(POSITION IN ARMY/ORGANIZATION)¦ [U and C]the position or level that someone holds in an organization, especially in the police or the army, navy etcrank of▪ officers below the rank of Colonel▪ He held (=had) the rank of Chief Inspector.rise to/be promoted to/attain the rank of sth▪ During the war Harold had risen to the rank of major.high/senior/low/junior rank▪ an officer of junior rank▪ He was sentenced to prison and stripped of his rank (=had his rank taken from him) .2.) the ranksa) the people who belong to a particular organization or groupin/within ... ranks▪ There were splits in the party ranks on this issue.▪ The Democrats now face opposition from within their own ranks.the ranks of▪ Most are recruited from the ranks of people who studied Latin and Greek at university.▪ That summer I left school and joined the ranks of (=became one of) the unemployed.b) all the members of the army, navy etc who are not officers▪ He rose from the ranks to become a Field Marshal (=he became an officer after starting as an ordinary soldier) .3.) break ranksto behave in a way which is different from other members of a group, especially when they expect your supportbreak ranks with▪ He was the first to break ranks with Ceausescu and publicly criticise his policies.4.) ¦(LINE)¦a rank of people or things is a line or row of themrank of▪ Silently, ranks of police edged closer to the crowds.▪ Everyone lines up in ranks, all facing the instructor.rank after rank/rank upon rank(=a lot of things or people in a row)▪ On the shelves were rank after rank of liquor bottles.5.) pull rank (on sb) informal to use your authority over someone to make them do what you want, especially unfairly▪ You may just have to pull rank and tell them.6.) ¦(QUALITY)¦ [singular]the degree to which something or someone is of high quality▪ While none of these pictures is of the first rank (=of the highest quality) , some are of interest.7.) ¦(SOCIAL CLASS)¦ [U and C]someone's position in society▪ people of all ranks in society▪ He came from a family of rank (=one from a high social class) .8.) ¦(TAXI)¦ also taxi ranka place where taxis wait in a line to be hired▪ I called a taxi from the rank outside.rank 2rank2 v1.)a) [I always + adverb/preposition, not in progressive]to have a particular position in a list of people or things that have been put in order of quality or importancerank as/among▪ Today's match ranks as one of the most exciting games that these two have ever played.▪ We rank among the safest countries in the world.rank with/alongside(=be of the same importance or quality)▪ Cuvier wanted to turn natural history into a science that would rank with physics and chemistry.rank high/low▪ He ranked high among the pioneers of 20th century chemical technology.b) [T]to decide the position of someone or something on a list based on quality or importancebe ranked fourth/number one etc▪ Agassi was at that time ranked sixth in the world.▪ It is not always easy to rank the students in order of ability.2.) [T] AmEto have a higher rank than someone else= ↑outrank▪ A general ranks a captain.3.) [T]to arrange objects in a line or row▪ There were several pairs of riding boots ranked neatly in the hall.rank 3rank3 adj[: Old English; Origin: ranc]1.) if something is rank, it has a very strong unpleasant smellrank smell/odour▪ the rank odour of sweat and urine2.) [only before noun]used to emphasize a bad or undesirable quality= ↑total▪ an example of this government's rank stupidity▪ They make us look like rank amateurs (=not at all good or professional) .3.) rank plants are too thick and have spread everywhere▪ rank grass and weeds
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.
