I.
noun
1 level of importance
ADJECTIVE
▪ high , senior , superior , top , upper
▪ middle
▪ inferior , junior , low
▪
the lowest ~s of the army
▪ first , second
▪
He is in the first ~ of designers.
▪ social
▪ Cabinet , ministerial ( BrE )
▪
a politician of Cabinet ~
VERB + RANK
▪ achieve , attain , be promoted to , get to , reach , rise to
▪
She joined the navy, where she rose to the ~ of captain.
▪ have , hold
▪
He held officer ~ in the air force for many years.
▪ assign sb , award sb
▪
He was assigned the ~ of Commander.
▪ be stripped of
▪
He was stripped of his ~ by a military court.
PREPOSITION
▪ above a/the ~
▪
He never rose above the ~ of lieutenant.
▪ below a/the ~
▪
police officers below the ~ of sergeant
▪ in ~
▪
He is higher in ~ than I am.
▪ ~ in
▪
all ~s in society
▪ ~ of
▪
She reached the ~ of captain.
PHRASES
▪ of high, low, etc. ~
▪
officers of senior ~
2 group of things/people
ADJECTIVE
▪ front , rear
▪
a poet who belongs in the front ~ of Latin American literature ( figurative )
▪ massed , serried (both esp. BrE )
▪
the serried ~s of hotel staff
PREPOSITION
▪ along a/the ~
▪
The president moved slowly along the ~s of men.
▪ in a/the ~
▪
He was standing in the second ~.
▪
The soldiers marched in three ~s of ten.
PHRASES
▪ break ~s (= to leave a line of soldiers, police, etc.)
▪
The police broke ~s and started hitting people with their batons.
▪
He broke ~s with his fellow Republicans and opposed the war. ( figurative )
▪ close ~s ( figurative )
▪
When the establishment is attacked, it closes ~s.
(= unites to protect itself)
▪ ~ upon ~ (of sth)
▪
Rank upon ~ of caravans filled the field.
3 ranks members of a large group
ADJECTIVE
▪ growing , swelling
▪
These products appeal to the growing ~s of middle-class consumers.
▪ amateur , pro ( AmE ), professional ( all sports )
▪
He spent two years on the college golf team before joining the professional ~s.
VERB + RANKS
▪ enter , fill , join , swell
▪
More women are now filling the ~s of the medical profession.
▪
Each month thousands more swell the ~s of the unemployed.
▪ be admitted into , be admitted to
▪ infiltrate
▪
A CIA operative had infiltrated their ~s.
▪ deplete , thin
▪
Death and disease were thinning their ~s.
▪ serve in
▪
They had served in the ~s of the army.
▪ climb , come up from , come up through , rise from , rise through
▪
He came up through the ~s to become a general.
PREPOSITION
▪ among the ~s of , within the ~s of
▪
There is much disaffection among the ~s of the party.
▪ beyond the ~s , outside the ~s
▪
The group has little influence over those outside its own ~s.
▪ in the ~s
▪
There are few women in the highest ~s of the organization.
PHRASES
▪ the ~ and file
▪
Communication worked well at management level, but didn't always make it down to the ~ and file.
◆◆◆
NOTE: Ranks in the armed forces
▪ an air force … , an army … , a navy …
▪
an air force/an army sergeant
▪
an army/a navy captain
▪ air marshal , field marshal ( both in the UK ), a naval captain/commander/lieutenant/officer
▪
a handsome young naval officer
▪ have/hold the rank of … , serve as …
▪
She joined the navy and held the rank of captain.
▪
He served as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
▪ be appointed … , become … , be made …
▪
He became a colonel at the age of 40.
▪
She ought to have been made sergeant by now.
▪ under …
▪
383 men under General Miles attacked the camp.
▪ the rank of …
▪
She was promoted to the rank of colonel.
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ high , highly , low
▪
These subjects ~ed low for most students.
▪
high-ranking officials
PREPOSITION
▪ above
▪
She ~s above any other musician of her generation.
▪ ahead of
▪
The dandelion ~s ahead of both broccoli and spinach in nutritional value.
▪ alongside
▪
This city ~s alongside London as one of the great tourist attractions of the world.
▪ among
▪
He ~s among the greatest boxers of all time.
▪ as
▪
Their performance ~s as the best of the year.
▪ below
▪ with
▪
This ~s with the great paintings of the 19th century.
▪ according to , by
▪
The children were ~ed according to academic ability.
PHRASES
▪ be nationally ~ed ( AmE )
▪
We beat a nationally ~ed team.
▪ be ~ed number two, three, etc. , ~ number two, three, etc. , ~ second, third, etc.
▪
the tennis player ~ed number two in the world
▪
The company ~s second among food manufacturers.
▪ ~ sth in order of sth
▪
~ed in order of size
▪ ~ in the top 10, 100, etc.
▪
She is now ~ed in the top five hockey players in Britain.
Rank is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ site
III.
adj.
Rank is used with these nouns: ↑ amateur , ↑ incompetence , ↑ outsider , ↑ smell