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 WebByeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 June 2024
To pass inspection, rungs must be evenly spaced to within one-sixteenth of an inch.
—Steven Yoder, USA TODAY, 24 June 2024
Each rung higher, the danger of a misstep gets worse.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Back in Lopez’s class, students are done calculating where their ladder rungs should go and now must mark them on the wall.
—Steven Yoder, USA TODAY, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rung 
Noun
The outlook is only marginally better the next rung up, with those in the $40,000 to $69,000 bracket netting a more optimistic outlook of just 4% when compared to a year ago.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 June 2024
To pass inspection, rungs must be evenly spaced to within one-sixteenth of an inch.
—Steven Yoder, USA TODAY, 24 June 2024
Each rung higher, the danger of a misstep gets worse.
—David Ignatius, Washington Post, 21 June 2024
Back in Lopez’s class, students are done calculating where their ladder rungs should go and now must mark them on the wall.
—Steven Yoder, USA TODAY, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for rung
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rung.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rung
Cite this Entry
“Rung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rung. Accessed 15 Jul. 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
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