INDEX:
1. your position or rank in an organization, company etc
2. to be in a high position in an organization, company, or list
3. to be in a higher position than someone else
4. someone who has a high position
5. to be in a low position in an organization, company, or list
6. someone who is in a lower position than someone else
7. someone’s position in a competition, race, list etc
8. to have a particular position in a competition, race, list etc
RELATED WORDS
position in society : ↑ CLASS
see also
↑ MANAGER
↑ POWER/POWERFUL
↑ CONTROL/NOT CONTROL
↑ IN CHARGE OF
↑ COMPANY
↑ ORGANIZATION
◆◆◆
1. your position or rank in an organization, company etc
▷ position /pəˈzɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
your job in an organization, company, or profession - use this to talk about how important someone is and how much responsibility they have :
▪ Her position in the company means that she is responsible for major financial decisions.
▪ He eventually became Lord Chancellor, the most powerful position in the British legal system.
hold a position
have a position
▪ Thorn holds one of the most senior positions in the Federal Bank.
▷ level /ˈlev ə l/ [countable noun]
all the jobs in an organization that are similar in importance and that pay similar amounts of money :
▪ The company provides training for staff at all levels.
▪ There are not many part-time workers in the middle and higher levels of management.
▷ rank /ræŋk/ [countable noun]
someone’s position in an organization such as the army or police force :
▪ Gang members wear clothes or decorations that show the member’s rank.
rank of
▪ He joined the Los Angeles police department and was eventually promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
▪ Four of the boys in Boy Scout Troop 611 reached the rank of Eagle Scout.
hold a rank
have a rank
▪ The position of Secretary of State holds Cabinet rank.
▷ status /ˈsteɪtəsǁˈsteɪtəs, ˈstæ-/ [uncountable noun]
someone’s position within an organization or within society, based on how important they are considered to be :
▪ The tribe buried their dead with ornaments or tools that showed the dead person’s status.
low/high status
▪ In the Middle Ages, priests and other religious figures had a very high status.
gain/lose status
▪ She gained celebrity status with her publication of ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’
▷ standing /ˈstændɪŋ/ [singular/uncountable noun]
someone’s position within society or a particular area of activity, based on the respect and admiration that other people have for them :
▪ Stefano’s standing as an artist has improved over the past few years.
▪ Graduates from certain colleges have a lower standing in the eyes of employers.
▪ a man of standing and wealth
▷ hierarchy /ˈhaɪrɑːʳki/ [countable/uncountable noun]
a system in which people have different positions in an organization, society etc, based on their level of importance :
▪ Genotti was thought to be number two in the Sicilian Mafia hierarchy.
▪ The school district reorganized the administrative hierarchy, which helped to save money.
2. to be in a high position in an organization, company, or list
▷ be high up /biː ˌhaɪ ˈʌp/ [verb phrase]
to be in a high position in an organization, company or list :
▪ He works for NASA, fairly high up.
be high up in
▪ Her father’s quite high up in the company.
▪ The reporter’s sources were apparently high up in the government.
▷ be high in/on /biː ˈhaɪ ɪn, ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to have a high position in a list or table of the most successful or best teams, records etc :
be high in/on on
▪ Pele is high on the list of the world’s best footballers.
be high in
▪ U2's new record is high in the charts.
▷ be at the top /biː ət ðə ˈtɒpǁ-ˈtɑːp/ [verb phrase]
to have the highest position in an organization, company, or list :
▪ Women at the top often have to work harder than men.
be at the top of
▪ The prizes will be awarded to 600 students who graduate at the top of their class.
▪ The issue is at the top of the agenda.
3. to be in a higher position than someone else
▷ above /əˈbʌv/ [preposition]
in a higher position than someone else in an organization or company :
▪ It’s not the staff that are the problem. It’s the people above them.
▪ The next person above him is the sales manager.
▷ be senior to /biː ˈsiːniəʳ tuː/ [verb phrase]
to be in a higher position than someone else in an organization or company :
▪ Technically I’m senior to Smith, but we do more or less the same job.
▪ The men said they had no problems taking orders from women senior to them in rank.
▷ superior /suːˈpɪ ə riəʳǁsʊ-/ [countable noun]
your superior in the organization you work for is the person who has a higher rank than you :
▪ He failed to follow a direct order from his superior.
▪ Women who have been harassed by male superiors often don’t complain because they are afraid of losing their jobs.
▷ outrank also rank American /aʊtˈræŋk, ræŋk/ [transitive verb]
to be in a higher position in an organization, especially the army :
▪ Successful sales staff will outrank less successful workers, regardless of qualifications.
▪ Because Barnett ranks him, they have to be discreet about their romance.
4. someone who has a high position
▷ senior /ˈsiːniəʳ/ [adjective only before noun]
a senior manager, official etc is one who has an important position in an organization or company :
▪ He’s a senior executive at Volkswagen.
▪ a job in senior management
▪ one of the country’s most senior judges
▷ top /tɒpǁtɑːp/ [adjective only before noun]
top manager/lawyer/executive etc
someone who has one of the most powerful jobs in business, or one of the most important jobs in a profession :
▪ The President met with top Korean businessmen.
▪ a top fashion designer
▷ high-ranking/top ranking /ˌhaɪ ˈræŋkɪŋ◂, ˌtɒp ˈræŋkɪŋ◂ǁˌtɑːp-/ [adjective only before noun]
a high-ranking officer/official/member etc
someone who has a high position in an organization like the police or army, or in a government department, but not in business :
▪ A high-ranking State Department official was accused of selling secret information.
▪ a high-ranking officer in the air force
▷ head /hed/ [adjective only before noun]
head waiter/chef/coach etc
the most important waiter etc, who is in charge of the others :
▪ Don Shula became the youngest head coach in NFL history.
▪ The head counsellor commented that substance abuse was pervasive at the school.
5. to be in a low position in an organization, company, or list
▷ be low down /biː ˌləʊ ˈdaʊn/ [verb phrase]
to be in a low position in an organization, company, or list :
▪ He doesn’t have any authority over you, he’s fairly low down.
be low down in
▪ At that time I was still fairly low down in the company.
▪ Surprisingly, last year’s champions are low down in the league table.
▷ low-ranking /ˌləʊ ˈræŋkɪŋ◂/ [adjective usually before noun]
having a low position in an organization :
▪ The scandal involved a number of low-ranking officials in the government.
▪ None of the low-ranking members were allowed to vote at the society’s meeting.
▷ be at the bottom /biː ət ðə ˈbɒtəmǁ-ˈbɑː-/ [verb phrase]
to be in the lowest position in an organization, company, or list :
▪ Richard started out at the bottom of the firm and worked his way to the top.
▪ The team is at the bottom of the league.
▪ You will start at the bottom of the pay scale, but you can expect a raise after 12 months.
▪ The band’s single has been moving steadily towards the bottom of the charts this month.
▷ be at the bottom of the pile /biː ət ðə ˌbɒtəm əv ðə ˈpaɪlǁ-ˌbɑː-/ [verb phrase] informal
if a person is at the bottom of the pile, they are in the lowest position in society, are badly treated, are given the worst jobs etc :
▪ Immigrants have always been at the bottom of the pile for housing.
▪ At the bottom of the pile are the runners, young boys who carry messages all day.
6. someone who is in a lower position than someone else
▷ junior /ˈdʒuːniəʳ/ [adjective only before noun]
a junior doctor, officer etc does not have as much power or responsibility as other doctors, officers etc, especially because he or she has not been in the job for very long :
▪ She started work as a junior reporter on a local newspaper.
▪ The most junior officers wore a red stripe on their sleeves.
▷ assistant /əˈsɪst ə nt/ [adjective only before noun]
assistant manager/editor/principal etc
someone whose job is just below the position of a manager, editor etc :
▪ My mother is assistant principal at a school in Washington, D.C.
▪ Noll, an assistant coach with the Colts, was hired by the Steelers as head coach.
assistant [countable noun]
▪ Hughes, who was Mott’s assistant, will now become head coach.
▷ subordinate /səˈbɔːʳdɪnət, səˈbɔːʳdənət/ [countable noun]
someone who has a lower position and less authority than someone else in an organization :
▪ Costello will have five direct subordinates.
▪ The idea of being evaluated by subordinates makes some managers uneasy.
▷ under /ˈʌndəʳ/ [preposition]
if people are under someone in authority, they work for that person and have a lower position :
▪ She has at least 40 people under her at Shell.
▪ Several of the employees under him complained of his bullying behavior.
▷ report to /rɪˈpɔːʳt tuː/ [verb phrase]
to have someone as your manager :
▪ McKellon will report to Alan Selles, the company’s chairman.
▪ Alan has five members of the production team reporting to him.
7. someone’s position in a competition, race, list etc
▷ position /pəˈzɪʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
the numbered position of someone or something in a competition, race, list etc :
position in
▪ Pollock rose to the No. 2 position in the company, but found that the higher she rose, the less she liked her job.
▪ The company has a strong position in most international markets.
first/fourth etc position
▪ Jonson is in third position after the first part of the competition.
▷ place /pleɪs/ [countable noun]
the position that someone achieves, especially in a race or competition, based on how well they perform against the others taking part :
▪ Manchester United go up two places after their win at Liverpool.
first/third/eighth etc place
▪ The horse I was betting on finished in second place.
take first/third etc place British /get first/third etc place
American win first etc place
▪ Victoria took first place in a national essay writing competition.
▷ ranking /ˈræŋkɪŋ/ [countable noun]
the numbered position of someone in a sport, especially based on their performance in the previous year :
▪ The football team lost their No. 1 ranking as a result of the decision.
world ranking
▪ At the end of this event, Davies is sure to have moved up a place in the world rankings.
8. to have a particular position in a competition, race, list etc
▷ rank /ræŋk/ []
to be in a particular position in a competition, race, list etc :
▪ The name Michael always ranks high on the list of the most popular boys’ names.
rank somebody as first/fourth/eighth etc
▪ Volleyball Monthly ranked the team third in the nation.
rank first/fourth/eighth etc
▪ Connell, a Canadian ranked 73rd in the world, won the third set.
▪ Second-ranked Stanford beat the University of San Diego 103-68.
rank among/as etc
▪ Sandoz ranks as one of the 10 largest drug companies in the world.
be ranked first/fifth etc
▪ She was beaten by someone who was ranked only 200th in the world.
▷ be first/second etc also come first/second British /biː ˈfɜːʳst, kʌm ˈfɜːʳst/ [verb phrase]
to be first, second etc in a competition or race :
▪ Sandoz won, and Anderson was second.
be first/second etc in
▪ Michael Johnson came first in the 400m final.