ranking

adjective rank·ing \ ˈraŋ-kiŋ \

Updated on: 5 Dec 2017

Definition of ranking

: having a high position: such as

a : of the highest rank

the ranking officer

b : being next to the chairman in seniority

ranking committee member

See ranking defined for English-language learners

Examples of ranking in a Sentence

Who is the ranking officer here?
the country's ranking law school

Recent Examples of ranking from the Web

The next day, Cummings joined with the House Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat, John Conyers Jr., D-Mich.

— author: karoun demirjian, john wagner, Alaska Dispatch News, "Trump, Republicans steer Russia investigations in new directions," 28 Oct. 2017
As the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Warner has hauled tech-company executives to Washington for questioning.

— alexis c. madrigal, The Atlantic, "Facebook’s Evidence of Russian Electoral Meddling Is Only ‘the Tip of the Iceberg’," 20 Oct. 2017
Trey Gowdy of South Carolina and Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

— Washington Post, "Michigan governor stands by congressional testimony on Flint," 12 Oct. 2017
Davie Police released a photograph Thursday of one of its ranking officers, Patricia Ravine, who has a smile as wide as her sergeant’s chevrons.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Cop who fought for life after car slammed her on 1-75 returns to work," 5 Oct. 2017
There is also the odd fact that del Potro’s greatest successes in 2016, the Olympics and the Davis Cup, earned him no ranking points, and thus left him vulnerable to nasty draws in 2017.

— christopher clarey, New York Times, "Eight Years Later, del Potro Faces Same Daunting Task at U.S. Open," 7 Sep. 2017
Also elected in 1992, Johnson is the highest ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

— jeremy wallace, Houston Chronicle, "The 10 longest serving members of Congress from Texas," 3 Nov. 2017
Since the younger Kelly was killed by a land mine in remote Helmand province, his father has labored to keep Robert’s death out of the spotlight — no easy task as the highest ranking military official to lose a child in the wars.

— Washington Post, "Trump thrusts Kelly’s private tragedy into public spotlight," 19 Oct. 2017
Rather, they’re ordered according to their ranking scores.

— will oremus, Slate Magazine, "Inside the changes that could save its business—and reshape civil discourse.," 5 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ranking.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ranking

1847

RANKING Defined for English Language Learners

ranking

adjective

Definition of ranking for English Language Learners

: having a high position or the highest position in a group or organization

Learn More about ranking

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ranking Nglish: Translation of ranking for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ranking for Arabic speakers

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ranking

Definition of ranking

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RANKING Defined for English Language Learners

ranking

Definition of ranking for English Language Learners

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