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rank and file
rank and file
noun
- the ordinary soldiers of an army, excluding the officers
- the great mass or majority of any group or organization, as opposed to the leadership
- modifier of, relating to, or characteristic of the rank and file
rank-and-file support
rank-and-file opinion
rank and file
- The people who form the major portion of any group or organization, excluding the leaders: “The rumors of corruption at the top disturbed the party's rank and file.” This phrase comes from military usage, where enlisted men march in ranks (close abreast) and files (one behind another), whereas officers march outside these formations.
Derived Forms
- rank and filer, noun
Other Words From
- rank-and-file adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of rank and file1
Idioms and Phrases
Followers, the general membership, as in This new senator really appeals to the rank and file in the labor unions . This expression comes from the military, where a rank denotes soldiers standing side by side in a row, and file refers to soldiers standing behind one another. The first recorded figurative use of this term was in 1860.Example Sentences
The federation, which represents rank and file officers, said the poll aimed to get "concrete evidence" of the experience of officers.
He will serve the last two years of his seventh and perhaps final term among the rank and file of the Republican majority.
The Scottish Police Federation, the body that represents rank and file officers, said the move would take effect from Friday 1 November at 17:00.
Do you really think he’ll be looking out for the men and women in the rank and file?
So it was little wonder that Sir Keir Starmer was so rapturously received in by the rank and file in the hall.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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