# rank

/ˈɹæŋk/ (US) · /ɹˈæŋk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rank
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. hierarchical level

noun · CEFR B2

your position or level in an organisation like the military or a large company.

For teachers: a specific hierarchical level within a structured organisation, particularly the military or police.

- After ten years of service, she finally reached the rank of captain.
- Promotions to the senior ranks are based on a combination of years in service and demonstrated leadership during field operations.

### 2. position in a list

noun · CEFR B2

a place in a list that is sorted by quality, size, or importance.

For teachers: a position within a sorted sequence or scale based on a specific metric such as quality, population, or performance.

- The university improved its global rank this year due to better research.
- Despite the economic downturn, the city maintained its high rank as a global financial hub.

### 3. a row of people or things

noun · CEFR B2

a line or row of people or things standing side by side.

For teachers: a row of people or objects arranged in a straight line, often within a grid or military formation.

- The soldiers stood in long ranks waiting for the parade to begin.
- The protesters stood in disciplined ranks, blocking the entrance to the building while maintaining a peaceful silence.

### 4. chess/math/computing

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a horizontal line on a chessboard, or a technical measure of size in math and computers.

For teachers: a horizontal row on a chessboard; also used in linear algebra for matrix dimensions and in computing for array dimensionality.

- In chess, the pieces are set up on the first and second ranks.
- The algorithm calculates the rank of the matrix to determine if the system of linear equations has a unique solution.

### 5. to have a position

verb · CEFR B2

to have a specific place in a list of quality or importance.

For teachers: to hold a particular position within a hierarchy or ordered sequence.

- This restaurant ranks among the best in the city for Italian food.
- The country ranks third globally in terms of renewable energy production per capita.

### 6. to put in order

verb · CEFR B2

to put things in a list from best to worst or most to least important.

For teachers: to assign a position to something within a hierarchy or according to a specific scale of value.

- We need to rank these tasks by how urgent they are.
- The committee will rank the applicants based on their technical expertise and previous project management experience.

### 7. smelly or bad

adjective · CEFR C1 · Informal

having a very strong and unpleasant smell or taste.

For teachers: offensive or foul in odour or taste; often implies decomposition or extreme lack of hygiene.

- The air in the locker room was rank with the smell of old sweat.
- The stagnant water in the ditch had turned rank, giving off a pungent scent that reached the nearby houses.

### 8. complete/total

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

used to emphasize that something bad is complete or total.

For teachers: used as an intensive to describe something negative as utter or unmitigated.

- It was rank stupidity to drive through the flood water.
- The project failed not due to bad luck, but because of rank incompetence at the executive level.

## Examples

- She reached the rank of captain after years of service.
- The tennis player's world rank dropped after he missed several important tournaments due to injury.
- Despite his high rank within the organization, he remained approachable and frequently sought input from entry-level employees regarding daily operations.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.