as in public
the body of the community as contrasted with the elite
the chosen few might have the opportunity for a trip in the space shuttle, but it will be a while before the rank and file are taking space trips
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rank and file
Weiner concludes his book by expressing his faith in the agency’s rank and file, but with a clear sense of foreboding.
—
Keith Gessen, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
Since the election, he's made overtures to try to start on the right foot, including by holding early meetings with caucus leaders and some rank and file.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The militia’s rank and file, meanwhile, was shattered first by pagers, then walkie-talkies that detonated in their hands, having been boobytrapped by Mossad.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 June 2025
The town is bleeding amid runaway production, audience apathy and a widening gap between the 1% and the industry’s rank and file.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Keith Gessen, New Yorker, 16 July 2025
Since the election, he's made overtures to try to start on the right foot, including by holding early meetings with caucus leaders and some rank and file.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The militia’s rank and file, meanwhile, was shattered first by pagers, then walkie-talkies that detonated in their hands, having been boobytrapped by Mossad.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 June 2025
The town is bleeding amid runaway production, audience apathy and a widening gap between the 1% and the industry’s rank and file.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
-
Yerevan now found itself in a hopeless situation, bereft of any real allies, its military in tatters, and an increasingly bitter Armenian public.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Sep. 2025
-
In 2021, Wolfe Herd became the youngest woman in history to take a company public, ringing the Nasdaq bell with her son on her hip.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Today, the best fashion schools have made sustainability a core principle, and the designers graduating from the world’s best design programs, like Nale, are looking at their future careers through a different lens than what the general populace is used to expecting from Fashion.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Rather than unifying and pacifying a populace, this kind of media encouraged idiosyncratic, extreme views.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Giants' pass rush should get a boost from the home crowd and prevent this from being easy for Patrick Mahomes and Co.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Other clips depict engines roaring with huge crowds and fireworks being set off.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Luke Shaw’s readiness to charge down a ball falling out of the sky, burst through a mass of bodies and bludgeon it towards Casemiro for a tap-in was everything Amorim had asked for.—
Mark Critchley,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
-
The trees’ mass can prevent them from getting blown over by high winds.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Outside, Ali stood on top of a car and stoked the nascent mob, promising them a fight at a rec center a few miles away.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
But they’re not made members of the McAlbert mob.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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