: 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
Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2025
Zach LaVine — a two-time All-Star in 2021 and ’22 — was passed over Thursday for a reserve spot in the Eastern Conference despite ranking 10th in the East in scoring (24 points per game) and shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range.
—Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Avery Lotz, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
The Pioneers, in the Class 6A Division II bracket, started their playoff run with a dominant 57-26 victory over Southlake Carroll (22-10), a top team from District 4-6A.
Senior Camille Williams, ESPN’s No. 36 prospect on the 2025 national rankings, led the way with 17 points.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ranking 
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Adjective
Here’s our ranking Taste-Off: The best (and worst) pre- and probiotic sodas in local markets
Taste-Off: The best frozen empanadas on the market — and the terrible ones
Good & Gather Cheddar Cheese Crackers
Adorable?
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2025
Zach LaVine — a two-time All-Star in 2021 and ’22 — was passed over Thursday for a reserve spot in the Eastern Conference despite ranking 10th in the East in scoring (24 points per game) and shooting 51.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range.
—Chicago Tribune, 31 Jan. 2025
Noun
The big picture: The U.S. received its lowest ever Corruption Perceptions Index score since Transparency International's current scale was established in 2012, according to the group's annual global ranking of public sector corruption across 180 countries released Tuesday.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
The Pioneers, in the Class 6A Division II bracket, started their playoff run with a dominant 57-26 victory over Southlake Carroll (22-10), a top team from District 4-6A.
Senior Camille Williams, ESPN’s No. 36 prospect on the 2025 national rankings, led the way with 17 points.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 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 16 Feb. 2025.
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