rank and file

rank and fi·lé

R r

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [rangk and fi-ley, fee-ley]
- /ræŋk ænd fɪˈleɪ, ˈfi leɪ/
- /ræŋk ənd faɪl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [rangk and fi-ley, fee-ley]
- /ræŋk ænd fɪˈleɪ, ˈfi leɪ/

Definitions of rank and file words

noun rank and file the members of a group or organization apart from its leaders or officers. 1
noun rank and file rank1 (def 7a). 1
noun rank and file members of an organization 1
noun rank and file members: ordinary, not high-ranking 1
singular noun rank and file The rank and file are the ordinary members of an organization or the ordinary workers in a company, as opposed to its leaders or managers. 0
noun rank and file the ordinary soldiers of an army, excluding the officers 0

See all 10 definitions of rank and file

Information block about the term

Origin of rank and file

First appearance:

before 1590

One of the 37% oldest English words

First recorded in 1590-1600

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Rank and file

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Rank and file

rank and file popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 32% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 64% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

rank and file usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for rank and file

noun rank and file

blue collar — of or relating to wage-earning workers who wear work clothes or other specialized clothing on the job, as mechanics, longshoremen, and miners. Compare white-collar.
bourgeoisie — In Marxist theory, the bourgeoisie are the middle-class people who own most of the wealth in a capitalist system.
commonage — the use of something, esp a pasture, in common with others
crowd — A crowd is a large group of people who have gathered together, for example to watch or listen to something interesting, or to protest about something.
gaggle — to cackle.

All 20 Synonyms of rank and file