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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Recent Examples of rank and file
While rank and file employees certainly have their own struggles, managers are feeling all the same stresses, along with more responsibilities and less support.
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L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024
The losers, FilmLA noted, are rank and file industry workers.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2024
But many rank and file union members were unhappy with the offer, which fell short of the 40% raise and pension changes that the union was seeking.
—Russell Lewis, NPR, 13 Sep. 2024
Ortberg issued a statement to union members Wednesday evening asking for their support, but conceded rank and file hold a lot of anger toward the company.
—Chris Isidore and Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rank and file 
L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024
The losers, FilmLA noted, are rank and file industry workers.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2024
But many rank and file union members were unhappy with the offer, which fell short of the 40% raise and pension changes that the union was seeking.
—Russell Lewis, NPR, 13 Sep. 2024
Ortberg issued a statement to union members Wednesday evening asking for their support, but conceded rank and file hold a lot of anger toward the company.
—Chris Isidore and Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
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By now Francis' annual Christmas address to the priests, bishops and cardinals who work in the Vatican Curia has become a lesson in humility — and humiliation — as Francis offers a public dressing down of some of the sins in the workplace at the headquarters of the Catholic Church.CBS News, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2024
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Other spikes in reports of suspicious bags or items happen in the wake of a major incident, such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when authorities were inundated by reports from the newly vigilant public.Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Trump’s White House sent $1,200 checks to the populace in 2020, all of which featured Trump’s signature.Tim Collins, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 11 Dec. 2024
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Being entombed alive is an apt metaphor for a populace that had its civic freedoms squashed by the Assad dynasty for half a century.Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Ashley’s original, which has made musical history books for its pioneering use of the then-new element of feedback, seems to have a had a more carnival/cabaret feel, including crowd noise.Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 15 Dec. 2024
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On special occasions, the spectacle draws in crowds to the riverbanks on both sides, where sometimes thousands of people gather to marvel at the bridge's dazzling transformation.Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Previous reporting suggested most of the infections were in people over the age of 15.Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
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Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said that about 18,000 people were in the mandatory or voluntary evacuation zones.Corina Knoll, New York Times, 11 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Last month, the Onion gleefully revealed its winning bid for Infowars, which was sued into bankruptcy (as was Jones) after the families of victims in the Sandy Hook mass shooting in Connecticut won a judgment in 2022 against Jones in a defamation suit.Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
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CoreCivic — Shares gained 2.9% after Wedbush Securities upgraded the private prison operator to outperform from neutral, saying the mass deportations promised by President-elect Donald Trump are a positive.Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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In season three, which dropped four months ago, a series of explosions rocked Kingstown and its citizens, as a new face of the Russian mob set up shop in the city, and a drug war raged inside and outside prison walls.Marc Berman, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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The third season saw a series of explosions rocking Kingstown and its citizens, as a new face of the Russian mob set up shop in the city and a drug war raged inside and outside prison walls.Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near rank and file
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
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