: 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
Tony Blengino, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Leatherman created a ranking system that considers 50 criteria, including local water temperature, sand softness, the size of waves, the views, and the ease of public access to the beach, all of which factor into his decisions each year on which beaches belong on his list.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2024
Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
Tulane 8-2 98 – Dropped out of rankings: Iowa State (17), Pittsburgh (23), Vanderbilt (24).
—Eric Olson, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ranking 
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Adjective
Trout didn’t have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title in 2024, so Freeman is the highest ranking 2024 qualifier from a career value perspective.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Leatherman created a ranking system that considers 50 criteria, including local water temperature, sand softness, the size of waves, the views, and the ease of public access to the beach, all of which factor into his decisions each year on which beaches belong on his list.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 1 Oct. 2024
Noun
Las Lomas and Gunn enter the rankings, San Ramon Valley, Archbishop Riordan rise after winning regular-season finales.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
Tulane 8-2 98 – Dropped out of rankings: Iowa State (17), Pittsburgh (23), Vanderbilt (24).
—Eric Olson, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 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 16 Nov. 2024.
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