rank

RANK/ɹæŋk/

Verbranks, ranking, ranked

Noun pluralranks

23 meanings of rank

Practice

1
be placedverbintransitive
To hold a certain place in an ordered list.
Like coming in third place in a race.
Strong teams rank near the top of the league.
She ranks among the best young swimmers in the country.
UsageSay rank third, rank highly or rank among the best.
Similarrate, place, stand
Note
2
order by meritverbtransitive
To put people or things in order based on how good or important they are.
Like lining up your toys from your favorite to your least favorite.
The judges rank the contestants from best to worst.
Teachers rank the essays before handing out grades.
UsageOften be ranked among or be ranked as: ranked among the best films.
Similarrate, grade, classify, place, order
Note
3
status levelnouncountable or uncountable
A person's level or position in a group like the army, or in society.
Like the steps on a ladder: each one is higher than the last.
He was proud to reach the rank of sergeant.
A soldier's rank shows how much authority they have.
UsageSay the rank of sergeant, or rise through the ranks.
Similargrade, level, position, standing, status
Note
4
list positionnouncountable or uncountable
The place something holds in a list put in order from highest to lowest.
Like your place in a race: first, second, or third.
The song's rank on the chart rose from tenth to third.
Her class rank went up after she aced the final exam.
UsageOf the first rank means very good, not number one on a list.
Similarposition, place, standing
5
group of peoplenouncountable or uncountable
A group of people who share a job or belong to the same body.
Like the players on one team, all wearing the same colors.
She joined the ranks of nurses at the city hospital.
New members joined the ranks of the volunteers.
UsageUsually the ranks of a group: join the ranks of volunteers.
Similarcorps
6
row (soldiers)nouncountable or uncountable
A line of people or things side by side, often soldiers in formation.
Like a row of chairs lined up neatly in a hall.
The soldiers stood in a straight rank for inspection.
Each rank of dancers moved together across the stage.
Similarrow, line
Oppositefile
Note
7
taxi standnouncountablechiefly UK
A place where taxis stand in a line, waiting for people who need a ride.
We walked to the taxi rank next to the hotel.
There were no cabs at the rank, so we had to wait in the rain.
Similarstand
Note

Less common meanings

8
fouladjective
Smelling or tasting very bad. Really disgusting.
Like milk that has gone sour and smells terrible.
The cheese was so rank that she had to cover her nose.
Divers sea fowls taste rank of the fish on which they ordinarily feed.
1661, Robert Boyle, The Sceptical ChymistHere, rank means having a strong, unpleasant taste, so they taste of fish.
UsageMostly used for bad smells: a rank smell.
Similarfoul, rancid, fetid, putrid, stinking
Note
9
utteradjectiveemphaticintensifiernegative
Total and complete, used to describe something bad.
He's a rank beginner who has never held a racket before.
Leaving the shop unlocked all weekend was rank carelessness.
UsageComes before a noun for something bad: rank nonsense, a rank beginner.
Similarthorough
10
be aboveverbUStransitive
To be at a higher level than someone else.
Like how a coach can tell a player what to do, but the player cannot tell the coach.
In the army, sergeants rank corporals.
She quickly learned who ranked whom on the ship.
UsageMany people say outrank instead: sergeants outrank corporals.
Similaroutrank
11
card valuenouncountable or uncountable
The number or face value of a playing card, like a two, a queen, or an ace.
Like points on a scale, where a higher card beats a lower one.
In this game, a card's rank tells you how strong it is.
She arranged her hand by rank, from the two up to the ace.
Similarvalue, denomination
Note
12
chess rownouncountable or uncountable
On a chessboard, one of the eight rows of squares that run from side to side.
Like one shelf in a bookcase: a single row going straight across.
The pawns lined up along the second rank at the start of the game.
She slid her rook across the back rank to protect her king.
Similarrow
Oppositefile
Note
13
level (biology)nouncountable or uncountable
A level in the system scientists use to sort living things into groups.
Like sorting things into boxes, then into bigger boxes that hold the smaller ones.
The rank of family sits just above genus in the system.
Scientists gave the newly found group its own rank.
Note
14
matrix measurenouncountable or uncountable
In math, the greatest number of independent rows or columns of a matrix, or of similar parts of related structures.
Like sorting clues into ones that tell you something new and ones that just repeat.
The teacher showed us how to find the rank of a small table of numbers.
The rank of this matrix is two, since only two of its rows are independent.
Note
15
array dimensionsnouncountable or uncountable
The number of separate directions used to organize the values in an array or tensor.
Like saying whether you need one number, two, or three to find a spot: a line, a page, or a box.
A simple list has a rank of one, while a table has a rank of two.
The program checks the rank of each array before doing the math.
Note
16
overgrownadjective
Growing very fast and thick, often in a wild or coarse way.
Like a yard left alone for months, full of thick, tangled weeds.
The garden grew rank with weeds after a summer of rain.
And, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.
1611, The Holy Bible, King James VersionHere, rank means growing thick and strong, full and well grown.
UsageMostly used for plants: rank weeds, rank grass.
Note
17
adjectiveobsolete
So rich that it makes plants grow fast and thick.
fow Sprat or Fullum Barley, which is the best for rank Land, because it doth not run ſo much to Straw
1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of HusbandryHere, rank means rich and fertile, so land that makes plants grow fast.
Note
18
hard to controladjective
Hard to control because it keeps pulling and fighting against you.
Like a dog on a leash that keeps pulling hard, no matter how you hold it.
The rank colt fought the bit all the way down the track.
She struggled to hold the rank horse as it pulled ahead.
Note
19
adjectiveobsolete
Swollen or overgrown because of too much growth in the body.
Note
20
adjectiveobsolete
Filled with strong sexual desire.
the ewes being rank, In end of autumn turned to the rams
c. 1596, William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”Here, rank means full of sexual desire, ready to mate.
Note
21
adverbobsolete
Quickly and eagerly, without holding back.
That rides so rank and bends his lance so fell.
1600, [Torquato Tasso], Godfrey of BulloigneHere, rank means quickly and eagerly, riding hard without holding back.
Note
22
verbrare
To put people or things in a line, side by side.
23
noun
In a pipe organ, a full set of pipes of one kind, with one pipe for each key or pedal.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of rank apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 8–9, 16–21

From Old English ranc, meaning "proud" or "strong," which goes back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "straight."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The adjective derives from Old English ranc, whose meanings included "proud" and "strong." en.wiktionary.org
Old English ranc goes back to a Proto-Germanic word glossed "straight." en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1–7, 10–15

From Old French ranc ("line, row"), which came from a Frankish word for "ring." It is a doublet of ring and rink.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Rank derives from Old French ranc, meaning "line, row". en.wiktionary.org
The Old French word came from a Frankish word meaning "ring". dh-lehre.gwi.uni-muenchen.de
Rank is a doublet of both ring and rink. en.wiktionary.org