1. (

• rank

) a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another; "the entrance was guarded by ranks of policemen" ;

2. (

• rank

) relative status; "his salary was determined by his rank and seniority" ;

3. (

• rank_and_file ,
• rank ,

) the ordinary members of an organization (such as the enlisted soldiers of an army); "the strike was supported by the union rank and file"; "he rose from the ranks to become a colonel" ;

4. (

• social_station ,
• social_status ,
• social_rank ,
• rank ,

) position in a social hierarchy; "the British are more aware of social status than Americans are" ;

5. (

• membership ,
• rank ,

) the body of members of an organization or group; "they polled their membership"; "they found dissension in their own ranks"; "he joined the ranks of the unemployed" ;

1. (

• rank ,

) take or have a position relative to others; "This painting ranks among the best in the Western World" ;

2. (

• rate ,
• rank ,
• range ,
• order ,
• grade ,
• place ,

) assign a rank or rating to; "how would you rank these students?"; "The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide" ;

3. (

• rank ,
• outrank

) take precedence or surpass others in rank ;

1. (

• rank

) very fertile; producing profuse growth; "rank earth" ;

2. (

• rank

) very offensive in smell or taste; "a rank cigar" ;

3. (

• crying ,
• egregious ,
• flagrant ,
• glaring ,
• gross ,
• rank

) conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible; "a crying shame"; "an egregious lie"; "flagrant violation of human rights"; "a glaring error"; "gross ineptitude"; "gross injustice"; "rank treachery" ;

4. (

• absolute ,
• downright ,
• out-and-out ,
• rank ,
• right-down ,
• sheer

) complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers; "absolute freedom"; "an absolute dimwit"; "a downright lie"; "out-and-out mayhem"; "an out-and-out lie"; "a rank outsider"; "many right-down vices"; "got the job through sheer persistence"; "sheer stupidity" ;

5. (

• rank

) growing profusely; "rank jungle vegetation" ;