as in public
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite
the chosen few might have the opportunity for a trip in the space shuttle, but it will be a while before the rank and file are taking space trips
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rank and file
All day, rank and file Republicans — and even committee chairs — grumbled about the process -- and the policy.
—
Hans Nichols, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
According to the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, ABC’s rank and file are furious over the settlement, which was recommended by the general counsel of the network’s parent company and signed off on by Iger.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
In the week since Israel began its full assault in late September, the group’s leadership and rank and file had been decimated by successive military operations.
—Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024
Yet despite Trump’s strong support among the Senate’s rank and file, Hegseth still might be in trouble.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Hans Nichols, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
According to the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, ABC’s rank and file are furious over the settlement, which was recommended by the general counsel of the network’s parent company and signed off on by Iger.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 19 Dec. 2024
In the week since Israel began its full assault in late September, the group’s leadership and rank and file had been decimated by successive military operations.
—Maha Yahya, Foreign Affairs, 20 Nov. 2024
Yet despite Trump’s strong support among the Senate’s rank and file, Hegseth still might be in trouble.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
-
This, of course, is at a moment when Hollywood is desperate to make the theatrical moviegoing experience itself relatable again to a distracted public.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Many of those disagreements spilled out into public and the country grew weary of constant bickering.—
Sebastian Shukla,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Construed as a pedagogical exercise more than entertainment, the film offers a deep reading into the complicated plurality of the populace that constitutes nations such as Germany.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
15 Feb. 2025
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Big questions remain about whether interventions that correct political meta-misperceptions can have lasting effects, or whether reducing polarization among the American populace is even enough when so many threats to democracy come from elites intent on sowing division.—
Michael Pasek,
The Conversation,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But Trump’s potential move — described to a crowd that included Musk; Eric Schmidt, formerly of Google; and Michael Klein, the deal-maker mogul — raises questions about the president’s economic priorities.—
Andrew Ross Sorkin,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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Next stop for this crowd is the Century for the Puttana of the Century party, with cult deity Joey Arias hosting ($35); dress bordello.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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As a Senate aide early in his career, Zeller investigated a tainted L-tryptophan supplement that killed at least 30 people and sickened thousands in the U.S. in 1989.—
Arthur Allen,
CNN,
26 Feb. 2025
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Virgo Since the planet of communication is giving you a chance to see matters differently, read between the lines to comprehend people’s motives.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Just a week before our arrival, the Trump administration fired about 1,000 permanent National Park Service workers as part of a mass purging of tens of thousands of federal workers still in the probationary period of their jobs.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2025
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Conservative groups and Republican state legislators pushed the laws during the 2022 midterm elections amid false allegations of mass voting by noncitizens.—
Suzanne Gamboa,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Indeed, some murders by mobs at the height of lynch law would include the wives and children of those accused.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
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Following months of lies asserted by Trump and others about his loss, a mob of people stormed the building to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election.—
Seth Klamann,
The Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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