1
a
: a rounded crosspiece between the legs of a chair
b
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
2
Scotland
: a heavy staff or cudgel
3
: a spoke of a wheel
4
: a level in a hierarchy
rise a few rungs on the social scale—
H. W. Van Loon
H. W. Van LoonSynonyms
Examples of rung in a Sentence
Noun
He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.
the top rung of society
the lowest rung of the pay scale
Recent Examples on the Web
Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Newsom has spent half of his 57 years climbing up the political ladder, one rung at a time.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
The new cut debuts in the runner-up rung on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads charts.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
The Tortured Poets Department lifts a few rungs to make a home at No. 8.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rung 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Michele opts to take a beat and organize all her rungs by size, while Olivia doesn’t want to waste any time and relies on trial and error.
—Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Newsom has spent half of his 57 years climbing up the political ladder, one rung at a time.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
The new cut debuts in the runner-up rung on both the Official Singles Sales and Official Singles Downloads charts.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
The Tortured Poets Department lifts a few rungs to make a home at No. 8.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rung
Dictionary Entries Near rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rung
1 of 2past participle of ring entry 3
rung
2 of 2 noun
: a rounded part placed as a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
also
: one of the crosspieces of a ladder
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share