: having a high position: such as
a
: of the highest rank
the ranking officer
b
: being next to the chairperson 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 ZimmermanExamples 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
Time Staff, Time, 9 June 2026
For nearly a year now, the progressive Democrat has served as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, which serves as the primary investigative panel in Congress.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 June 2026
Mohamed Salah — Egypt/Liverpool Had this World Cup been taking place a year ago, Salah would have been near the top of this ranking.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
The ranking awards companies dedicated to the development and provision of workplace technologies, encompassing both software and hardware and covering areas such as HR technology, workforce management, employee experience, learning and development, and workplace operations.
—Time Staff, Time, 9 June 2026
For nearly a year now, the progressive Democrat has served as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, which serves as the primary investigative panel in Congress.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
Noun
Spain remains solidly second on the international rankings.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 12 June 2026
Mohamed Salah — Egypt/Liverpool Had this World Cup been taking place a year ago, Salah would have been near the top of this ranking.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for ranking
Cite this Entry
“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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