: 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
Hans Nichols, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025
The highest ranking California city on MoneyGeek’s list of the safest small cities and towns in America was Rancho Santa Margarita.
—Kendrick Marshall, Sacramento Bee, 14 Jan. 2025
Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
North Crowley finished the season with a No. 3 Max Preps national ranking.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ranking 
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Adjective
Gabbard has met with every Republican and five of the eight Democrats, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking Democrat.
—Hans Nichols, Axios, 17 Jan. 2025
The highest ranking California city on MoneyGeek’s list of the safest small cities and towns in America was Rancho Santa Margarita.
—Kendrick Marshall, Sacramento Bee, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
Look no further than the abandonment of computer ranking systems of the BCS era in favor of the all-human selection committee of the College Football Playoff.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
North Crowley finished the season with a No. 3 Max Preps national ranking.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Jan. 2025
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 20 Jan. 2025.
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