: 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
Michele Kelemen, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
Jim McGovern, of Massachusetts, the ranking Democratic member, opened the discussion.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Nice sit 63rd in the ELO rankings — a measure of team strength that allocates points for every result, weighted by the quality of opposition faced — ahead of Galatasaray and level with Freiburg.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen says reforms must be done with care.
—Michele Kelemen, NPR, 22 Apr. 2025
Jim McGovern, of Massachusetts, the ranking Democratic member, opened the discussion.
—Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
Ellison improved his ranking by one from No. 5 in 2024, while Page vaulted three places from No. 10 and Brin jumped three positions from No. 11.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Nice sit 63rd in the ELO rankings — a measure of team strength that allocates points for every result, weighted by the quality of opposition faced — ahead of Galatasaray and level with Freiburg.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 24 Apr. 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 30 Apr. 2025.
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