How to Use rung in a Sentence

rung

noun
  • He was on the bottom rung on the corporate ladder.
  • The gap to the next rung is narrow.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026
  • But there’s at least one rung missing.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
  • For me, growth isn’t about climbing the next rung.
    — Rochelle Ratkaj, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
  • In straight bar, the lace sits across the tongue like the rungs of a ladder.
    — John Kelly, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2023
  • Just up a rung on his family tree.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
  • For the lower rung, the outlook is more of the same.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Jan. 2026
  • Each mariner will be remembered with a bell rung.
    — Emma George-Griffin, Freep.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The new frame is something closer to depth—roots, not rungs.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
  • And then each week, there’s another rung.
    — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Those rungs are numbered 0 to 10.
    — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
  • The purchase was meant to widen the bank’s reach to the lower rungs of the wealthy there.
    — Fortune, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Lean a vintage ladder against a blank wall and fold blankets over each rung.
    — Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2025
  • To climb, the metal arm first latches on to a rung and pulls the robot up.
    — Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Three ladders with upturned butcher knives for rungs led to the ground.
    — Kate Guadagnino, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2023
  • However, a bell once rung cannot be unrung.
    — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
  • The next rung may not exist unless someone leaves.
    — Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Then the extendable metal arm can reach for the next rung, and so on to the top.
    — Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Many, if not all, were only one rung removed from the streets themselves.
    — Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2022
  • The highest rung is occupied by cash.
    — Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Some ask if the broken rungs on the corporate ladder can be fixed.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Each rung lets a different segment of your market work with you.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
  • Petra climbed to the second rung of the railing to revel in the cool winds.
    — Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
  • All involved recognize this deal is just one rung on a very tall ladder.
    — Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
  • On the top rung of that hierarchy was, of course, God.
    — Ryan Huling, Time, 7 May 2026
  • Courageous leaders learn to pause on the lower rungs of the ladder.
    — Olivia Dufour, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
  • Tools can now absorb some basic tasks, so the first rung feels less necessary.
    — Jennifer Moss, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025
  • The deal also removed the bottom two rungs from their salary schedules.
    — Deanna Pan, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2023
  • The research team found that humans are rungs below apex predators.
    — Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023
  • These heavier pieces should be laid flat to dry or draped carefully over the rungs of a drying rack.
    — Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 19 Dec. 2025

Some of 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.

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