: 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
plural rankings
: position, order, or standing within a group : rank
The figures, compiled from federal surveys and a tourism research concern, earned New York City a second-place ranking nationwide as a destination for United States travelers, pushing Las Vegas down to the No. 3 spot.—
Eric Lipton
Eric Lipton… if a site is linked to by sites of high quality and popularity, those links can raise the ranking of the first site.—Elizabeth Stone
Elizabeth StonePlaying primarily in regional events, she earned a ranking of No. 151, high enough to make the qualifying field at Roland Garros.—L. Jon Wertheim
L. Jon Wertheim… he had the lowest interception rate and the highest ranking of any NFL quarterback …—Paul Zimmerman
Paul ZimmermanExamples of ranking in a Sentence
Adjective
Who is the ranking officer here?
the country's ranking law school
Noun
in one ranking of the best places to live, San Francisco surpassed all the other cities in the U.S.
the President's ranking in the polls is at its highest level since he took office
Recent Examples on the Web
Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Here’s our ranking Taste-Off: The best (and worst) pre- and probiotic sodas in local markets
Taste-Off: The best frozen empanadas on the market — and the terrible ones
Good & Gather Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Adorable?
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2025
Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
The Raptors have serious defensive problems, as evidenced by their ranking 23rd in defensive efficiency — and that was before the Raptors gave up a franchise-record number of points in a 155-126 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.
—Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Here’s our ranking Taste-Off: The best (and worst) pre- and probiotic sodas in local markets
Taste-Off: The best frozen empanadas on the market — and the terrible ones
Good & Gather Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Adorable?
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
That stretch of victories earned Hooker the No. 14 ranking in the 155-pound division against the No. 5 ranked Edson Barboza in the co-main event of a UFC on FOX card.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings.
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
Cite this Entry
“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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