ALL meanings of break ranks
rank
B b - noun break ranks to fall out of line, esp when under attack 3
- noun break ranks if you say that a member of a group or organization breaks ranks, you mean that they disobey the instructions of their group or organization 3
- noun break ranks a number of persons forming a separate class in a social hierarchy or in any graded body. 1
- noun break ranks a social or official position or standing, as in the armed forces: the rank of captain. 1
- noun break ranks high position or station in the social or some similar scale: a woman of rank. 1
- noun break ranks a class in any scale of comparison. 1
- noun break ranks relative position or standing: a writer of the first rank. 1
- noun break ranks a row, line, or series of things or persons: orchestra players arranged in ranks. 1
- noun break ranks ranks. the members of an armed service apart from its officers; enlisted personnel. military enlisted personnel as a group. 1
- noun break ranks Usually, ranks. the general body of any party, society, or organization apart from the officers or leaders. 1
- noun break ranks orderly arrangement; array. 1
- noun break ranks a line of persons, especially soldiers, standing abreast in close-order formation (distinguished from file). 1
- noun break ranks British. a place or station occupied by vehicles available for hire; stand: a taxi rank. 1
- noun break ranks Chess. one of the horizontal lines of squares on a chessboard. 1
- noun break ranks a set of organ pipes of the same kind and tonal color. 1
- noun break ranks Also called determinant rank. Mathematics. the order of the nonzero determinant of greatest order that can be selected from a given matrix by the elimination of rows and columns. 1
- noun break ranks Mining. the classification of coal according to hardness, from lignite to anthracite. 1
- verb with object break ranks to arrange in ranks or in regular formation: The men were ranked according to height. He ranked the chess pieces on the board. 1
- verb with object break ranks to assign to a particular position, station, class, etc.: She was ranked among the most admired citizens. 1
- verb with object break ranks to outrank: The colonel ranks all other officers in the squadron. 1
- verb with object break ranks Slang. to insult; criticize. 1
- verb without object break ranks to form a rank or ranks. 1
- verb without object break ranks to take up or occupy a place in a particular rank, class, etc.: to rank well ahead of the other students. 1
- verb without object break ranks to have rank or standing. 1
- verb without object break ranks to be the senior in rank: The colonel ranks at this camp. 1
- verb without object break ranks Slang. to complain. 1
- idioms break ranks break ranks, to leave an assigned position in a military formation. to disagree with, defect from, or refuse to support one's colleagues, party, or the like. 1
- idioms break ranks pull rank (on), to make use of one's superior rank to gain an advantage over (someone). Also, pull one's rank (on) 1
- verb break ranks (military) To march or charge out of the designated order in a military unit. 0
- verb break ranks (Idiomatic) To publicly disagree with one's own group or organization. 0