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View synonyms for rank and file

rank and file

noun

  1. the members of a group or organization apart from its leaders or officers.


rank and file

noun

  1. the ordinary soldiers of an army, excluding the officers
  2. the great mass or majority of any group or organization, as opposed to the leadership
  3. modifier of, relating to, or characteristic of the rank and file

    rank-and-file support

    rank-and-file opinion

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

rank and file

  1. 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.
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Derived Forms

  • rank and filer, noun
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Other Words From

  • rank-and-file adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of rank and file1

First recorded in 1590–1600
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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.
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Example Sentences

The federation, which represents rank and file officers, said the poll aimed to get "concrete evidence" of the experience of officers.

From BBC

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.

From BBC

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.

From BBC

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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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