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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rank and file
Speaker Johnson is facing a major test in his effort to rally his rank and file.
3:23
House Republican leaders plan to move forward with a vote on the budget plan Tuesday night despite opposition from at least four Republicans, leaning on President Donald Trump to help convince the holdouts.
—
John Parkinson, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
That set of three weeks of chaos when several top GOP leaders failed to secure enough support to get the gavel until Johnson, then a rank and file conservative member of the House Judiciary panel, was nominated with unanimous support.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 3 Jan. 2025
Berkeley is struggling to retain city workers, both rank and file and key top administrators.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
Luna said Friday that the agreement Democrats initially made with Johnson's team came about in a closed-door meeting that did not include rank and file Republicans.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
John Parkinson, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025
That set of three weeks of chaos when several top GOP leaders failed to secure enough support to get the gavel until Johnson, then a rank and file conservative member of the House Judiciary panel, was nominated with unanimous support.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 3 Jan. 2025
Berkeley is struggling to retain city workers, both rank and file and key top administrators.
—East Bay Times Editorial, The Mercury News, 31 Oct. 2024
Luna said Friday that the agreement Democrats initially made with Johnson's team came about in a closed-door meeting that did not include rank and file Republicans.
—Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for rank and file
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rank and file
Noun
-
The result was a big surprise to much of the boxing public.—
Josh Katzowitz,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Cutting away advisory panels hurts everyone and leaves the U.S. government uninformed when making critical decisions that affect millions of lives, alongside a public left in the dark about what advice agencies do receive.—
Dan Vergano,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Historian William Dalrymple traces the current sectarian divisions to the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, who shattered the empire’s religious pluralism by trying to impose orthodox Islam on the populace.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Apr. 2025
-
But those environmentalists would have recognized, at least a little, the political climate: a corrupt Republican Administration and an energized populace willing to take to the streets.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The pontiff, who had been facing major health issues in the past several weeks, used an aide, Archbishop Diego Ravelli, to deliver his Easter Sunday speech to a crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Stylistically, Murphy runs cooler than Sanders and AOC, who draw energy from crowds.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Around 20 minutes into the episode, the show cut away from Jackson to a group of people hiking through the woods around Seattle.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The crowd, estimated by Italian police at 200,000, included many young people, some of whom had planned to visit Rome before the death of Francis on April 21.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The regular army scales by giant pyramids of talent, and overwhelming mass.—
John Sviokla,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
In the two years since Tommy Elliott was killed in a mass shooting, Maryanne Elliott’s grief has, in turns, left her aghast and overwhelmed, bewildered and incapacitated, grateful and wanting to die.—
Kristina Goetz,
USA Today,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There’s also another layer to the twins’ mob heist, which is that Capone had ties to the U.S. government, fostering a relationship between organized crime and government officials that would increase following World War II.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2025
-
Reporters from around the country followed the case, which marked the first time ever that prosecutors would play for a jury a surreptitious FBI recording of mob soldiers taking the oath of omerta during a mafia initiation ceremony.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rank and file.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rank%20and%20file. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share