词性: nounposition in organization / army, etc.
1 [U,C] the position, especially a high position, that sb has in a particular organization, society, etc:
She was not used to mixing with people of high social rank. * He rose through the ranks to become managing director. * Within months she was elevated to ministerial rank. * Promotion will mean that I'm immediately above him in rank.
seealsoRANKING
2 [C,U] the position that sb has in the army, navy, police, etc:
He was soon promoted to the rank of captain. * officers of junior / senior rank * a campaign to attract more women into the military ranks * officers, and other ranks (= people who are not officers) * The colonel was stripped of his rank (= lost his position as colonel).
3 (the ranks) [pl.] the position of ordinary soldiers rather than officers:
He served in the ranks for most of the war. * He rose from the ranks (= from being an ordinary soldier) to become a warrant officer.
quality
4 [sing.] the degree to which sb/sth is of high quality:
a painter of the first rank * Britain is no longer in the front rank of world powers. * The findings are arranged in rank order according to performance.
members of group
5 (the ranks) [pl.] the members of a particular group or organization:
We have a number of international players in our ranks. * At 50, he was forced to join the ranks of the unemployed. * There were serious divisions within the party's own ranks.
line / row
6 [C] a line or row of soldiers, police, etc. standing next to each other:
They watched as ranks of marching infantry passed the window. * They fired at random into the enemy ranks.
7 [C] a line or row of people or things:
massed ranks of spectators * The trees grew in serried ranks (= very closely together).
seealsoTAXIRANK
IDIOMS
break ranks
1 (of soldiers, police, etc.) to fail to remain in line
2 (of the members of a group) to refuse to support a group or an organization of which they are members:
Large numbers of MPs felt compelled to break ranks over the issue.
moreatCLOSEv., PULLv.
verb (not used in the progressive tenses)
give position
1 ~ (sb) (as sth) to give sb/sth a particular position on a scale according to quality, importance, success, etc.; to have a position of this kind:
[VN] The tasks have been ranked in order of difficulty. * She is currently the highest ranked player in the world. * top-ranked players * Voters regularly rank education as being more important than defence. * [VN-ADJ] Last year, he was ranked second in his age group. * [V-ADJ] At the height of her career she ranked second in the world. * [VN-N] The university is ranked number one in the country for engineering. * [V] [often +adv./prep.] The restaurant ranks among the finest in town. * It certainly doesn't rank as his greatest win. * This must rank with (= be as good as) one of the greatest movies ever made. * Health and education rank highly with voters. * [V] (AmE) You just don't rank (= you're not good enough).
put in line / row
2 [VN] [usuallypassive] to arrange objects in a line or row
