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 LoonSynonyms
Examples 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
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2025
The ship’s passengers came from all rungs of Victoria society, including bankers, entrepreneurs, socialites, entertainers, miners and immigrant laborers.
—Joel Sams, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft falls two rungs to No. 9 (nearly 37,000 equivalent album units; down 8%), and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department climbs 12-10 (35,000; down 3%).
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2025
Dam failure, floods and landslides were delineated as a lower risk, with the threat of a tsunami at the lowest rung because only parts of the county would be impacted.
—Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
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Noun
Nearly a third of residents are foreign-born, with immigrants living all across the county and occupying all rungs of the social ladder.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2025
The ship’s passengers came from all rungs of Victoria society, including bankers, entrepreneurs, socialites, entertainers, miners and immigrant laborers.
—Joel Sams, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft falls two rungs to No. 9 (nearly 37,000 equivalent album units; down 8%), and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department climbs 12-10 (35,000; down 3%).
—Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 26 Jan. 2025
Dam failure, floods and landslides were delineated as a lower risk, with the threat of a tsunami at the lowest rung because only parts of the county would be impacted.
—Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for rung
Dictionary Entries Near rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 5 Feb. 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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