How to Use the rank and file in a Sentence

the rank and file

noun
  • The logic is not lost on the rank and file.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
  • In the past few days, the gulf between the top brass and the rank and file has grown.
    — Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
  • All of the group’s branches have faced calls from the rank and file to join the caliphate.
    — Barak Mendelsohn, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2016
  • This all bubbled up from the rank and file up to the leadership of the guilds.
    — Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 May 2023
  • The three-and-a-half year contract still must be approved by the rank and file workers.
    — oregonlive, 9 June 2023
  • Fain, and the rank and file, are betting that the Big Three can shell out more.
    — Bypaige Hagy, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023
  • When the money spigot stays on, everybody stays paid, the rank and file stays in line.
    — Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2023
  • The backlash weighed heavily on the minds of the rank and file at Cloudflare.
    — Steven Johnson, WIRED, 16 Jan. 2018
  • As the rank and file busy themselves with AI helpers, the c-suite is lining its own pockets.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Mar. 2026
  • What does removing someone like him do to the officer ranks and to the rank and file overall?
    — CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Doyle said part of the secretary’s job is to set the tone for the agency so the rank and file know what is expected of them.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
  • In any other business, seeing the rank and file applaud the boss would smack of corporate fawning.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2024
  • He was appointed Chief in 1994 and was a beloved leader who stood up for the rank and file.
    — Wendy Murphy, Boston Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Crack down on problem officers and excessive force, without alienating the rank and file.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
  • Despite the industry’s fixation on Zaslav’s big payday, the spoils from the sale will spread through the rank and file.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026
  • It should also be measured according to unions’ presence in the rank and file’s everyday nonworking lives.
    — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 19 Sep. 2023
  • And suddenly there is this real clash between rule of law, or the story the institution wants to tell the world, versus where the rank and file is.
    — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
  • His regular videos kept the rank and file informed and energized even as the writers strike became one of the longest in history.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Current Indian Army personnel played all the rank and file soldier roles in the film, not extras.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Feb. 2024
  • That’s important because unearned income tends to represent a greater share of total income for the wealthy compared with the rank and file.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Do members of the rank and file attend union meetings, defend the contract by filing grievances when needed, and support each other while on the job?
    — John Vukmirovich, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2026
  • At first glance, the rank and file are more bullish on generative AI, with 95% seeing value in working with it.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 31 May 2024
  • But suffice to say, given the rank and file of the club, let’s hope those fancy guests really take the opportunity to challenge and inspire.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Historically, the rank and file of the police department has preferred that the chief come from within the department.
    — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Frequent management changes created strategic turmoil at the top, while adding pressure on the rank and file to generate returns.
    — Marion Halftermeyer, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2023
  • Rojas on Thursday said his capture undermined the confidence of the rank and file but did not derail the dialogue process.
    — ABC News, 18 June 2026
  • Perhaps just as dangerous is the potential for division within the armed services as military brass are pitted against the rank and file.
    — Theo Milonopoulos, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2023
  • But new research published in the American Journal of Public Health might give some hope to the rank and file.
    — Trey Williams, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023
  • He was generally seen as popular among the rank and file, and a number of pro-war military bloggers came to his defense on Tuesday.
    — Paul Sonne, New York Times, 21 May 2024
  • So the rank and file—those men and women in uniform who are carrying out the air strikes, who are conducting the operations—they’re doing a remarkable job.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the rank and file.' 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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