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 LoonExamples 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
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 July 2025
Jack White rung in his 50th birthday with an unexpected gift: his first cell phone.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 10 July 2025
The pending legislation proved the final straw for Moody’s, which in May became the last of the three major credit agencies to downgrade the U.S. from its top rung of borrowers.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 29 June 2025
Only a recent bad streak of 10 New York losses in 12 games allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to grab a piece of top rung when the weekend began.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
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
Two days earlier, Raleigh had represented Modesto in the all-star game of the Cal League, a division of single-A teams clustered in northern and Southern California, and among the lower rungs of minor-league baseball.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 July 2025
Jack White rung in his 50th birthday with an unexpected gift: his first cell phone.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 10 July 2025
The pending legislation proved the final straw for Moody’s, which in May became the last of the three major credit agencies to downgrade the U.S. from its top rung of borrowers.
—Greg McKenna, Fortune, 29 June 2025
Only a recent bad streak of 10 New York losses in 12 games allowed the Philadelphia Phillies to grab a piece of top rung when the weekend began.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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