ranks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of rank
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

ranks

2 of 2

noun

plural of rank
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ranks
Verb
The company's flagship M3 model ranks 18th on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Bryce Harper has hit 26 home runs this season, which ranks 20th in MLB. — Data Skrive, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Google co-founder Sergey Brin, whom Forbes ranks as the world’s 4th wealthiest person, has given $100 million into that group, including $20 million last month. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026 This disaster ranks as the single largest one-month tornadic outbreak in Indiana’s weather history. — John Tufts, IndyStar, 19 Aug. 2026 Reid ranks fourth on the NFL’s coaching career victory list, including playoffs, with 279. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026 In four seasons, Hall has registered 5,040 scrimmage yards, which ranks 14th in the league during that span. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026 The debut project’s follow-up Unorthodox Jukebox ranks as his second-longest-running full-length, with just 85 weeks. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
Some came through technical ranks, whereas others followed very different paths. — Milan Shetti, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 For the next several summers, Wardle worked on staff, investing in the younger Scouts coming up through the ranks. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026 The mood of public and institutional reckoning is unsettling to some in the ranks of Fidesz. — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 2026 So the league is making social justice a priority while criminal justice needs addressing within its ranks. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026 As Damian starts to rise up the ranks in the boxing world, secrets are revealed, and the two end up in a high-stakes match against each other. — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026 At 24, Lefty has joined the ranks of Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Shania Twain, and fellow chart-topping singer-songwriters bridging the gap between country and pop music. — Jonathan Borge, InStyle, 27 Aug. 2026 The team also traded away Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos for prospects, further thinning their ranks. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026 Ordonez joined Club Brugge in August 2022 after coming through the ranks at Ecuadorian clubs Deportivo Azogues and Independiente del Valle. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ranks
  1. is
  2. groups
  3. league
  4. places
  5. classifies
  6. category
  7. rates
  8. relegates
Verb
  • The highway to get there is a single-lane road for miles and miles and miles, and there’s sagebrush all around.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There is a lot riding on Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s speech here Friday morning at the Fed’s storied annual retreat in the Tetons.
    — Brian Cheung, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of is
Verb
  • Because humans can readily resolve patterns in motion — when points move in the same direction, the brain groups them into a unified whole — the moving dots appear as faint letters.
    — Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of groups
Noun
  • The price was steep for Evangelista, but the first-round pick will likely be late in the round assuming Colorado remains one of the top teams in the league.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • While Kaepernick was out of the league, the NFL went about trying to turn the temperature down on his protest, battling the aftermath of an especially divisive election and a ratings slide some attributed to the player demonstrations.
    — Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of league
Verb
  • The announcement places Xiaomi alongside Chinese automakers including BYD, Nio, Li Auto and XPeng, all of which have been developing proprietary processors for increasingly sophisticated driver-assistance and autonomous-driving systems.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Seconds later, Landek places his hands on both sides of Hoffenberg’s face and gives her a kiss that lasts about two seconds.
    — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of places
Verb
  • In 2021, researchers analyzing EPA compliance data found that 17 of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities had systems the agency classifies as serious violators.
    — Ivis García, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Additionally, the state of Illinois recently passed a bill, SB3484, that classifies and regulates micromobility devices such as e-scooters.
    — Narmeen Khan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of classifies
Noun
  • Thailand has yet to secure an Oscar nomination in the international feature category.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The screenplay placed second in the horror category at the 2025 Slamdance Screenplay Competition, winning Filmmatic’s Horror/Thriller Screenplay Awards, and selected for the 2026 Grey List.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of category
Verb
  • The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates 203 House seats as safely or likely Republican and 194 as safely or likely Democratic, leaving 18 races rated as toss-ups.
    — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The bill is funded by updating how the VA rates conditions such as tinnitus and sleep apnea, part of a larger overhaul of the disability rating system underway since 2017.
    — Vanessa Chism, Baltimore Sun, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of rates
Verb
  • The move relegates longtime Renegades starter Luis Perez to the bench.
    — José Sánchez Córdova, Dallas Morning News, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Robby relegates Langdon to triage for now — there’s less of a chance the two will run into each other that way.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
Definition of relegates

Phrases Containing ranks

Browse Nearby Words

rankness
ranks
ran off
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Cite this Entry

“Ranks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ranks. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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