: 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
Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Researchers were able to pull adequate data from 35 states to compare reading scores, with California ranking 29th in academic growth.
—Sharon Lurye, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Crime rankings varied depending on whether analysts measured violent crime only, included property crime, or compared cities of different sizes.
—James Ward, USA Today, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ranking
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Adjective
These lists create an environment where ranking 10th seems worse than 1st, despite both being high quality.
—Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
Researchers were able to pull adequate data from 35 states to compare reading scores, with California ranking 29th in academic growth.
—Sharon Lurye, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Noun
Forget the strength-of-schedule rankings.
—Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Crime rankings varied depending on whether analysts measured violent crime only, included property crime, or compared cities of different sizes.
—James Ward, USA Today, 15 May 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 21 May. 2026.
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