1
a
: a rounded crosspiece between the legs of a chair
b
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
2
Scotland
: a heavy staff or cudgel
3
: a spoke of a wheel
4
: a level in a hierarchy
rise a few rungs on the social scale—
H. W. Van Loon
H. W. Van LoonExamples of rung in a Sentence
Noun
He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.
the top rung of society
the lowest rung of the pay scale
Recent Examples on the Web
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
On that latter list, OK Computer reached its No. 19 high just last week and now dips two rungs to No. 21.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer, has been among those warning that the bottom rung of the career ladder is breaking first.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 18 July 2025
Halfway down, a rung bowed and snapped, dropping me neatly onto the rung below.
—Amie Barrodale, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
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Noun
Five teams are jockeying in the bottom rung of the league — the Sun, the Sky, the Golden State Valkyries (12-13, 48% two-year percentage), the Los Angeles Sparks (11-15, 28.8% two-year percentage) and the Dallas Wings (8-19, 25.4% two-year percentage).
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025
On that latter list, OK Computer reached its No. 19 high just last week and now dips two rungs to No. 21.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
Aneesh Raman, LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer, has been among those warning that the bottom rung of the career ladder is breaking first.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 18 July 2025
Halfway down, a rung bowed and snapped, dropping me neatly onto the rung below.
—Amie Barrodale, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rung
1 of 2past participle of ring entry 3
rung
2 of 2 noun
: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
also
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
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