1
as in is
to take or have a certain position within a group arranged in vertical classes
my favorite pitcher ranks first in the league for number of consecutive outs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in groups
to arrange or assign according to type
most critics would rank him among our best actors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in league
one of the units into which a whole is divided on the basis of a common characteristic
this book will someday join the ranks of the world's great novels
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ranks
Marisa McMillan, Outside, 9 Jan. 2026
Detroit, Michigan WalletHub's study includes a more comprehensive analysis that ranks 182 cities based on 31 key metrics that also include factors like average commute time, safety and family friendliness.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Minnesota ranks 44th for overall tax competitiveness and has the sixth-highest personal income tax rate, per the report.
—Mars King, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
Her 2018-2022 album trilogy ranks among the most fearless, smartest state-of-the-union statements recorded in any genre this century.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Save for 2020, last year ranks as the poorest year for job creation since 2009 and the global financial crisis.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 9 Jan. 2026
This was after working 15 years in the college ranks in various roles.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Last year ranks third, behind 2023 and 2024, on the list for the greatest number of billion-dollar disasters, and well above average for the cost to the country based on data going back to 1980, Climate Central found.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
And among the 23 centers around the NBA who have put up at least 105 threes this season, Ware ranks second behind only Denver Nuggets three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Arkansas Online, 8 Jan. 2026
On Tuesday, Cuba released their names, ranks and ages.
—Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 8 Jan. 2026
The collective of nations was built on the premise that an attack on anyone in its ranks would warrant a response from all of them, staving off Russian advances for decades.
—Jessica Schladebeck, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Minoring in the transfer portal might have worked two years ago, but half measures now get blown away by programs who go all-in with player acquisition straight from the college ranks.
—Pete Sampson, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Notably, nine House Republicans broke ranks and voted with Democrats in favor of the procedural motion to discharge.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 7 Jan. 2026
Former Gainesville coach Josh Niblett is headed to the college football ranks, but not without an emotional goodbye to his fan base of the last four years.
—Jack Leo, AJC.com, 7 Jan. 2026
She was assigned to the EVOLVE brand before she was let go in October as part of a revamp of the company's developmental ranks.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
The move also helps Netflix compete with YouTube, which has risen in ranks as the most popular platform for podcasts.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
Out of five types of exercise, resistance training ranks highest in improving overall brain health.
—Noun
That's not to mention the lower ranks where teams like James Madison or Tulane might find their way into the 12-team field, only to get obliterated in the playoff and lose their coaches and half their players to Power Five schools along the way.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for ranks
Verb
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There is a chance for rain and snow, especially across northern and western areas.—
-
While the Panthers improved in a lot of areas this past year, there is still plenty of room for upgrades on the roster.—
Noun
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John has already been linked to any number of head coaching vacancies around the league.—
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Hall earned two of his three Vezina Trophy honors as the league's top goalie with Chicago, in 1963 and '67.—
Verb
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Police said the surveillance video places the person of interest in the alley near the Tepe home during that critical timeframe.—
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Importantly, the president already has full legal authority to impose tariffs when other nations’ behavior places an unreasonable burden on our economy, including through environmental negligence.—
Verb
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The machine learning algorithm, meanwhile, classifies and identifies stationary objects that could lead to collisions.—
-
While recipes vary, the glycemic index (GI)—a scale from one to 100 that measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar—of gingerbread cookies is about 66, which classifies them as a high-glycemic food, according to Alexandria Hardy, RDN, LDN, owner of Pennsylvania Nutrition Services.—
Noun
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But there’s no one on any planet that could read anything but a small sampling of the books that come out in a particular time period, even in a certain category.—
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The Carolina Panthers’ defense improved in almost every major statistical category from 2024 to 2025.—
Verb
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And Inside Elections, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes congressional races, rates eight Republican congressmen as very vulnerable.—
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Pro Football Focus rates him 100 of 113 qualifying edge players.—
Verb
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Ed’s high-paying job allows (or relegates) Jess to be a stay-at-home mum, her life devoted to (and circumscribed by) her children.—
-
Like any adaptation, even one that unfolds over four hours, Death by Lightning has to make some hard choices, and creator Mike Makowsky, whose credits include the terrifically entertaining HBO true-crime comedy Bad Education, relegates Bell and Bliss to the sidelines.—
Noun
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Israeli attacks weakened Iran’s regional armed proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollahwhile US strikes dealt significant damage to the country’s nuclear program, which the government spent billions to develop.—
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The Associated Press reported that the grim discovery underscores the tactics used by criminal groups competing for control of territory and trafficking routes, especially along the country’s coastline.—
Cite this Entry
“Ranks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ranks. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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