English French Spanish More dictionaries More

Definition of 'rung'

Word Frequency

rung

(rʌŋ )

Word forms: plural rungs

1.

Rung is the past participle of ring1.

2. countable noun

The rungs on a ladder are the wooden or metal bars that form the steps.

I swung myself onto the ladder and felt for the next rung.

3. countable noun

If you reach a particular rung in your career, in an organization, or in a process, you reach that level in it.

I first worked with him in 1971 when we were both on the lowest rung of our careers. [+ of]

There has never been a better time to get on the first rung of the property ladder.

COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Video: pronunciation of
rung

Youtube video

You may also like

English Quiz

Language Lover's

Language Lover's

French Translation of

French Translation of

Translate

Pronunciation

Word of the day: cyberathlete

Word of the day:

Hindi Translation of

Hindi Translation of

NEW from

English

Collins

Word Frequency

rung in British English 1

(rʌŋ )

noun

1.

one of the bars or rods that form the steps of a ladder

2.

a crosspiece between the legs of a chair, etc

3. nautical

a spoke on a ship's wheel or a handle projecting from the periphery

4. dialect

a cudgel or staff

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Derived forms

rungless (ˈrungless)

adjective

Word origin

Old English hrung; related to Old High German runga, Gothic hrugga

Word Frequency

rung in British English 2

(rʌŋ )

verb

the past participle of ring2

▶ USAGE See note at ring2

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Word Frequency

rung in American English 1

(rʌŋ )

noun

1.

any sturdy stick, bar, or rod, esp. a rounded one, used as a crossbar, support, etc.

; specif.,

a.

any of the crosspieces constituting the steps of a ladder

b.

a supporting crosspiece, as between the legs of a chair

2.

a stage or degree in a scale, as of social acceptance

3. Scottish

a cudgel

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Word origin

ME rong < OE hrung, staff, rod, pole, akin to Ger runge; for prob. IE base see ring2

Word Frequency

rung in American English 2

(rʌŋ )

verb intransitive, verb transitive

pt. of; Dialectal

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Examples of 'rung' in a sentence
rung

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

Yet those on the bottom rungs of the publishing ladder are happy to aim lower.How many rungs are there on your ladder?The rungs of that ladder could tell him exactly where he was on his journey to manhood.The man at the top knows what life is like on lower rungs of the company ladder.But he soon learnt how to climb the rungs. Avoid standing on the top three rungs or steps.Anything to avoid landing on the bottom rungs of the differentiation ladder. Products that are purchased infrequently and involve an unpleasant experience usually have very few rungs on their ladders.And how fragile is the hold on the lower rungs of opportunity for so many people in this huge city.He gestured Abasio to lead the way up the metal rungs protruding from the stone.

Show more...

Trends of
rung

View usage for:

Browse alphabetically
rung

Related terms of
rung

Source

Definition of rung from the Collins English Dictionary

New from Collins

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

-

Score: 0 / 5

hour or our?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

hour

our

I only slept for an that night.

sail or sale?

Which version is correct?

They are trying to limit the sail of sugary drinks. They are trying to limit the sale of sugary drinks.

key or quay?

Which version is correct?

She reached for her car key. She reached for her car quay.

him or hymn?

Which version is correct?

I find it difficult to choose my favourite him. I find it difficult to choose my favourite hymn.

beat or beet?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

beat

beet

She could hear the of his heart.

Your score:

Sep 16, 2021

Word of the day

cyberathlete

a professional player of computer games

SEE FULL DEFINITION

SEE PREVIOUS WORDS

Latest Word Submissions

participial adjec... Sep 07, 2021

LFD Sep 07, 2021

pass down Sep 07, 2021

zilant Sep 06, 2021

View More Submit

9 new words in Collins Dictionary

There is a scientific bent to 9 new words added to the Collins Online Dictionary, including three types of 'blot' tests, and words relating to electric vehicles. Read more

Brush up on your Latin this Back to School

With the UK running a pilot study into teaching Latin in state schools, we look at common Latin phrases still in use today. Read more

A little bird told me… 7 animal idioms

It’s new words time at Collins Dictionary and this month we see the addition of words like fingerling, net zero and emotional support animal. This month, there were a few animal-related additions. Read more

Collins English Dictionary Apps

Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android. Read more

Collins Dictionaries for Schools

Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom. Read more

We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots! Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge! Read more

Join the Collins community

All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month. Read more

Scrabble score
for 'rung':
5

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Question: 1

-

Score: 0 / 5

medal or meddle?

Which version is correct?

You can't beat getting a gold medal at a home games. You can't beat getting a gold meddle at a home games.

carat or carrot?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

carrot

carat

Rabbits love to eat the odd juicy .

buy or by?

Drag the correct answer into the box.

by

buy

The boys were rescued firefighters.

oar or ore?

Which version is correct?

It used to be a huge iron oar mine. It used to be a huge iron ore mine.

bare or bear?

Which version is correct?

The ice was not thick enough to bare their weight. The ice was not thick enough to bear their weight.

Your score:

Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content

Register now or log in to access