1
a
: a rounded crosspiece between the legs of a chair
b
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
2
Scotland
: a heavy staff or cudgel
3
: a spoke of a wheel
4
: a level in a hierarchy
rise a few rungs on the social scale—
H. W. Van Loon
H. W. Van LoonExamples of rung in a Sentence
Noun
He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.
the top rung of society
the lowest rung of the pay scale
Recent Examples on the Web
Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2025
But ‘Europa League specialist’ is faint praise because the tournament is the second rung on UEFA’s ladder.
—Justin Guthrie, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
In some ways, this is the same old story of an unfair economy where the rungs on the ladder to success keep getting farther apart, keeping those with wealth securely at the top while others struggle to climb.
—Daryl Fairweather, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The next rung on the ladder is Jeff Van Gundy, Thibodeau’s longtime friend, who sits in third place with 248 wins.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
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Noun
Early rooms are usually the same and somewhat simple — hallways, bedrooms, and puzzle parlors — but the closer the player gets up the rungs of the grid toward the antechamber, the higher the rank of each room gets, with more complex options (and solutions) presenting themselves.
—Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2025
But ‘Europa League specialist’ is faint praise because the tournament is the second rung on UEFA’s ladder.
—Justin Guthrie, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
In some ways, this is the same old story of an unfair economy where the rungs on the ladder to success keep getting farther apart, keeping those with wealth securely at the top while others struggle to climb.
—Daryl Fairweather, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
The next rung on the ladder is Jeff Van Gundy, Thibodeau’s longtime friend, who sits in third place with 248 wins.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rung
1 of 2past participle of ring entry 3
rung
2 of 2 noun
: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
also
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
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