What does outrank mean?
Outrank means to stand above someone or something in a ranking, hierarchy, or order of precedence. It is a transitive verb: a person can outrank a colleague, a team can outrank another team, or one issue can outrank another in a discussion of priorities. The word is especially appropriate when the important comparison is formal position—rank, authority, status, or order of precedence. In less literal contexts, it can suggest that something is judged more important or influential than something else, though “outdo” is often more natural when the focus is achievement, quality, or performance. Outrank is used in formal and informal settings in both British and American English. Compared with “outdo,” it is more specific: it identifies a higher position in an implied scale rather than simply doing better. Its usefulness lies in making comparisons of precedence explicit and concise.
verbTo be ranked above someone or something; to have a higher position in a hierarchy, ranking, or order of precedence.
- Be ranked above someone or something in a hierarchy, comparison, or order of precedence.
"The vice president outranked every other member of the committee."
"The vice president outranked every other member of the committee."
"A more experienced candidate may outrank a celebrity in the polls."
The prefix “out-” is doing precise work here: outrank means “stand above in rank,” not merely “rank.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does outrank come from?
The word was formed in English by combining the prefix out- with rank, an older word that came through Old French from a Germanic source meaning a row, order, or rank. Here, out- expresses the sense “above” or “beyond,” so the literal meaning is to occupy a higher position in a ranking. Modern usage also applies the word more broadly to comparisons of status, authority, importance, and precedence.
Related word forms
How outrank is actually used
Usually transitive and used in both formal and informal contexts in British and American English. It emphasizes relative rank, authority, status, or precedence rather than the amount or quality of an achievement.