rung

5 definitions • 4 examples

past participle of

any of the short bars that form the steps of a ladder

past participle of ring

any of the short bars that form the steps of a ladder (= a device used for climbing), or fig. a level or stage of progress:

fig. Community colleges occupy the lower rung of the state’s higher education system.

a position in an organization or system with many levels:

the rungs of the ladder I worked my way up every rung of the corporate ladder.

the bottom/top rungs of sth Job replacement primarily occurs at the bottom rungs of the labor market ladder.

the lowest/highest rungs Families on the lowest economic rungs will be hit hardest.