: 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 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
Jon Stojan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
But the Americans had Taylor Fritz, a top-five player for much of the summer, not just in ranking, and a proper doubles team in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Check out the Michigan high school football rankings after an eventful Week 4.
—Christian Romo, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
Your product title feeds the platform's ranking algorithm while also serving as the first real interaction with a potential customer.
—Jon Stojan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
But the Americans had Taylor Fritz, a top-five player for much of the summer, not just in ranking, and a proper doubles team in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
The typical buyer of a 2025 BMW M5 is often a middle aged, affluent individual, frequently an entrepreneur, or high ranking executive, who is likely upgrading from a smaller performance car like an M3 or a M4.
—Tony Leopardo, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
Check out the Michigan high school football rankings after an eventful Week 4.
—Christian Romo, Freep.com, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ranking
Cite this Entry
“Ranking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ranking. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
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