: 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 Zimmerman
Examples 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
Andrew Solender, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
Cincinnati boasts a dangerous offense, too, ranking 10th in offensive DVOA and scoring 30 points in four of nine games.
—Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun, 6 Nov. 2024
Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
The rankings exclude military academies and are limited to schools that participate in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, which tend to attract top players.
—Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ranking 
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Adjective
What's next Steering committee Democrats will decide which lawmakers to recommend to the full caucus for ranking posts, with the caucus expected to finalize those selections some time this month.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024
Cincinnati boasts a dangerous offense, too, ranking 10th in offensive DVOA and scoring 30 points in four of nine games.
—Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
The capital was followed by the state's second-largest city, Tucson, which cracked the top half of the ranking at No. 74.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 19 Dec. 2024
The rankings exclude military academies and are limited to schools that participate in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS, which tend to attract top players.
—Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ranking
Dictionary Entries Near ranking
Cite this Entry
“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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