rank
rank — noun
1. a level or position that a person has in an organized group such as the military
a level or position that a person has in an organized group such as the military, a company, or a government, with higher ranks having more authority and responsibility.
Rohan achieved the rank of captain after five years in the army.
rank + of [title]
Ada held a senior rank within the hospital management team.
The police officer's rank was clearly shown on the badge above his pocket.
possessive + rank
New employees at the firm start at an entry-level rank and work their way up.
adjective + rank (entry-level rank, senior rank)
Pedro was promoted to a higher rank after completing the training programme.
passive: be promoted to + rank
- hold the rank of
- senior rank
- junior rank
- promoted to the rank of
- achieve a rank
Grammar Patterns
rank + of [title]
Usage Note
Often used with military and police titles (sergeant, colonel, general) but also applies to corporate and government job levels.
Common Mistakes
2. a position on a scale that shows how good something or someone is when compared
a position on a scale that shows how good something or someone is when compared to others of the same type — for example, the rank of a university among schools, or the rank of a wine in a competition.
That university has a rank among the top five in the country for science.
has / holds / achieves a rank among [group]
The wine received a high rank at the international tasting competition.
Sales figures are used to determine the rank of each product in the catalogue.
determine / assign a rank
Schools are given a rank each year based on test scores and graduation rates.
passive: be given a rank
- rank among
- first rank
- top rank
- determine the rank of
- rank as
- rating
more common for consumer reviews and scores
- standing
focuses on reputation over time rather than a single position
- classification
more formal, used in official systems
Grammar Patterns
rank + among [group]
rank + as + adjective
Usage Note
Can be used as both countable ('a rank of fifth') and uncountable ('has high rank among experts'). Subject is often an institution, product, or achievement being compared.
3. the ordinary soldiers in an army who are not officers; the group of people who a
the ordinary soldiers in an army who are not officers; the group of people who are at the basic level of an organization rather than in a leadership position.
Christopher served in the ranks for three years before being promoted to officer.
in the ranks
The general started his career in the ranks and worked his way up.
in the ranks (from ordinary soldier to high position)
Several soldiers from the ranks were chosen for the special training unit.
from the ranks
The rank and file of the company were not consulted about the new policy.
- in the ranks
- from the ranks
- rise from the ranks
- the rank and file
- enlisted personnel
formal military term, narrower in scope
- rank and file
idiomatic expression for ordinary members of any group
- officers
those who hold command positions above the ranks
Grammar Patterns
in the ranks
the rank and file
from the ranks
Usage Note
Used in fixed phrases: 'the ranks' (non-officer soldiers), 'the rank and file' (ordinary members of any organization), 'rise from the ranks' (start as an ordinary soldier and become an officer). Distinguish from sense 4 which refers to the general collective of members.
Common Mistakes
4. a large group of people who belong to a particular organization, profession, or
a large group of people who belong to a particular organization, profession, or share a particular situation or characteristic.
The earthquake swelled the ranks of the homeless across the region.
swell the ranks of
More women are joining the ranks of professional engineers every year.
The charity has added thousands of volunteers to its ranks this year alone.
add to the ranks of
The ranks of the unemployed grew sharply after the factory closure.
the ranks of the unemployed
- the ranks of
- swell the ranks of
- join the ranks of
- add to the ranks of
- membership
refers to the condition of belonging rather than the group itself
- body
more formal, e.g. 'student body'
Grammar Patterns
the ranks of + [group]
swell the ranks of
Usage Note
Nearly always in plural form 'ranks'. Common with 'the ranks of + plural noun' (the unemployed, the elderly, teachers). Subject is typically a change (swell, grow, join) affecting the group's size.
5. an orderly formation where soldiers, police officers, or objects are positioned
an orderly formation where soldiers, police officers, or objects are positioned side-by-side in a straight line, all facing forward.
The soldiers stood in neat ranks for the morning inspection.
in ranks (standing in formation)
The children formed two ranks and marched into the hall single file.
Ranks of white chairs faced the stage for the outdoor ceremony.
ranks of [objects]
The police officers stood in a long rank between the crowd and the building.
- in ranks
- a rank of
- form ranks
- stand in ranks
Grammar Patterns
in ranks
rank of + [people/things]
Usage Note
Most common in military and ceremonial contexts. 'Rank' describes a side-by-side line (horizontal), while 'file' describes a front-to-back line (vertical).
Common Mistakes
6. a designated spot at a station, airport, or street where taxis form a queue and
a designated spot at a station, airport, or street where taxis form a queue and wait for customers to hire them.
After the train arrived, passengers hurried to the taxi rank outside.
at the taxi rank
The airport has a covered taxi rank just next to the arrivals hall.
João waited at the taxi rank for twenty minutes on the rainy evening.
A long queue of passengers formed at the taxi rank after the concert.
queue at a taxi rank
- taxi rank
- at the rank
- queue at the rank
- wait at the rank
- taxi stand
American English equivalent
- cab stand
informal American equivalent
Grammar Patterns
taxi rank
at the rank
queue at a rank
Usage Note
Chiefly British English. In American English the equivalent is 'taxi stand.' Often found at transport hubs (stations, airports, hotels).
Common Mistakes
break ranks
idiomto publicly show disagreement with the group or organization you belong to, especially by expressing a different opinion from the official one.
Two senators broke ranks and voted against their own party on the new law.
close ranks
idiomto unite and support each other as a group, especially when facing criticism or an external threat.
When the newspaper published the negative story, the family closed ranks and refused to comment.
to use your higher position or authority to make someone do what you want, especially in an unfair way.
The manager pulled rank on Feng and made him take the weekend shift instead.
To use your higher position or authority to force someone to do something.
The manager pulled rank on Sara and made her work late.
Diego didn't want to go, but his boss pulled rank and ordered him.
rank — adjective
1. used to emphasise that something bad or negative is complete and extreme in degr
used to emphasise that something bad or negative is complete and extreme in degree, with no attempt to hide or soften it.
The report described the corruption as a case of rank injustice.
rank + abstract negative noun (injustice, hypocrisy, dishonesty)
The decision was called a rank act of favouritism by the losing team.
His excuse turned out to be rank dishonesty from beginning to end.
The jury showed rank incompetence in handling the evidence properly.
- rank injustice
- rank dishonesty
- rank incompetence
- rank hypocrisy
Grammar Patterns
rank + [negative noun]
Usage Note
Always used before a noun (attributive only), and the noun must express something negative: injustice, hypocrisy, dishonesty, incompetence, cowardice, etc. Cannot be used with neutral or positive nouns.
Common Mistakes
2. growing very thickly and fast, often in a way that is uncontrolled or too dense
growing very thickly and fast, often in a way that is uncontrolled or too dense — used especially of plants, grass, or weeds.
The old garden was choked with rank weeds and wild bushes.
rank + vegetation nouns (weeds, grass, vegetation)
After the rainy season, rank grass covered the abandoned field.
Rank vegetation grew along the edges of the neglected pathway.
The riverbanks were hidden behind a wall of rank green undergrowth.
- rank weeds
- rank grass
- rank vegetation
- rank growth
- sparse
thinly scattered; opposite of dense growth
Grammar Patterns
rank + [plant/growth noun]
Usage Note
Attributive only (before the noun). Carries a slightly negative connotation — the growth is excessive or untidy rather than simply healthy. More common in descriptive or literary writing than in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes
3. having a very strong and unpleasant smell or taste, often like something rotten,
having a very strong and unpleasant smell or taste, often like something rotten, stale, or dirty.
A rank smell of old fish and damp cloth filled the tiny kitchen.
rank smell / odour / stench
The cheese was so rank that Ingrid had to leave the room.
The water in the old well had a rank taste that nobody could drink.
The air in the basement turned rank after weeks of no ventilation.
predicative: turn / go / smell rank
- rank smell
- rank odour
- rank taste
- smell rank
- go rank
- fresh
clean and pleasant-smelling, opposite of stale or rotten
Grammar Patterns
rank + [smell noun]
smell/taste rank
Usage Note
Unlike sense 1 and 2 of the adjective, this sense can be used both before a noun ('a rank smell') and after a linking verb ('the air smelled rank'). Stronger and more disapproving than 'strong-smelling.'
Common Mistakes
rank — verb
1. to have or be given a particular position on a scale when compared to others of
to have or be given a particular position on a scale when compared to others of the same type — for example, a team ranking third in a competition, or a product ranking high in customer satisfaction.
The university ranks second in the country for business studies.
rank + ordinal (first, second, third)
Maja's blog ranks among the most popular food websites in Europe.
rank among [group]
The company is ranked fifth in the global smartphone market this year.
passive: be ranked + ordinal
Safety is ranked as the top priority by most airline passengers.
passive: be ranked as + [quality]
The judges ranked Asher's photograph higher than any other entry.
transitive: rank + object + comparative
- rank first/second/third
- rank among
- rank as
- be ranked + [number]
- rank high/low
- rank above/below
Grammar Patterns
rank + adverb/preposition
be ranked + adverb/preposition
Usage Note
Can be used transitively (someone/something ranks X) or intransitively (X ranks Y). The passive form ('is ranked') is very common in reporting and lists. Commonly paired with ordinal numbers (first, second, third) or position adverbs (high, low, above, below).
Common Mistakes
Word family
- rankingnounB1
- rankedadjectiveB1
- rankernounC2
- outrankverbC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These four verbs all describe putting someone or something in a position relative to others, but they differ in formality and scope. 'Rank' is the most neutral and widely used, suitable for official standings (sports teams, universities, companies) and implies a clear numerical or tiered position. 'Rate' is more informal and opinion-based — you can rate a film, a restaurant, or a service using stars or scores, but the result is often subjective rather than official. 'Classify' focuses on sorting into categories or types rather than positions on a single scale; a library classifies books by subject, not by quality. 'Place' is common in competition contexts ('placed third in the race') and is slightly more formal than 'rank' for sports results. For example: the university ranks third nationally (official position); customers rate the service four stars (subjective opinion); biologists classify whales as mammals (categorisation); the runner placed second in the marathon (competition result).
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'rank' entered English from Old French 'ranc' (meaning a row or line), which came from Frankish 'hring' (a circle or ring). The original sense was a physical line of soldiers, which then extended to the idea of a position in a hierarchy. The adjective senses (extreme, overgrown, strong-smelling) developed from a different Old English root 'rang' (strong, proud), which later took on negative meanings of excess or offensiveness. By the 1300s, the adjective was used for overly vigorous plant growth, and by the 1500s for strong unpleasant smells.