noun / verb
rank
An ordered row of people or things.
The soldiers stand in a straight rank across the courtyard.
Etymology
The Old French ancestor means a row or line. Rank preserves that orderly arrangement, especially a row of people standing alongside one another.
More examples
- A second rank of dancers waits behind the first.
- We arrange the chairs in three ranks facing the stage.
- The judges rank the finalists from first to last.
Forms
rank · ranks · ranked · ranking