Adjacent Words

Rung definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RUNG, pret. and pp. of ring.
RUNG, n. A floor timber in a ship, whence the end is called a rung-head; more properly a floor-head.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a crosspiece between the legs of a chair [syn: rung, round, stave]
2: one of the crosspieces that form the steps of a ladder [syn: rundle, spoke, rung]

Merriam Webster's

I. past participle of ring II. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hrung crossbar; akin to Gothic hrunga staff and perhaps to Old English hring ring — more at ring Date: 14th century 1. a. a rounded crosspiece between the legs of a chair b. one of the crosspieces of a ladder 2. Scottish a heavy staff or cudgel 3. a spoke of a wheel 4. a level in a hierarchy <rise a few rungs on the social scale — H. W. Van Loon>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 each of the horizontal supports of a ladder. 2 a strengthening crosspiece in the structure of a chair etc. Derivatives: runged adj. rungless adj. Etymology: OE hrung 2. past part. of RING(2).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ring Ring (r[i^]ng), v. t. [imp. Rang (r[a^]ng) or Rung (r[u^]ng); p. p. Rung; p. pr. & vb. n. Ringing.] [AS. hringan; akin to Icel. hringja, Sw. ringa, Dan. ringe, OD. ringhen, ringkelen. [root]19.] 1. To cause to sound, especially by striking, as a metallic body; as, to ring a bell. 2. To make (a sound), as by ringing a bell; to sound. The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums, Hath rung night's yawning peal. --Shak. 3. To repeat often, loudly, or earnestly. To ring a peal, to ring a set of changes on a chime of bells. To ring the changes upon. See under Change. To ring in or out, to usher, attend on, or celebrate, by the ringing of bells; as, to ring out the old year and ring in the new. --Tennyson. To ring the bells backward, to sound the chimes, reversing the common order; -- formerly done as a signal of alarm or danger. --Sir W. Scott.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ring Ring (r[i^]ng), v. t. [imp. Rang (r[a^]ng) or Rung (r[u^]ng); p. p. Rung; p. pr. & vb. n. Ringing.] [AS. hringan; akin to Icel. hringja, Sw. ringa, Dan. ringe, OD. ringhen, ringkelen. [root]19.] 1. To cause to sound, especially by striking, as a metallic body; as, to ring a bell. 2. To make (a sound), as by ringing a bell; to sound. The shard-borne beetle, with his drowsy hums, Hath rung night's yawning peal. --Shak. 3. To repeat often, loudly, or earnestly. To ring a peal, to ring a set of changes on a chime of bells. To ring the changes upon. See under Change. To ring in or out, to usher, attend on, or celebrate, by the ringing of bells; as, to ring out the old year and ring in the new. --Tennyson. To ring the bells backward, to sound the chimes, reversing the common order; -- formerly done as a signal of alarm or danger. --Sir W. Scott.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rung Rung, n. [OE. ronge, AS. hrung, a staff, rod, pole; akin to G. runge a short, thick piece of iron or wood, OD. ronghe a prop, support, Icel. r["o]ng a rib in a ship, Goth. Hrugga a staff.] 1. (Shipbuilding) A floor timber in a ship. 2. One of the rounds of a ladder. 3. One of the stakes of a cart; a spar; a heavy staff. 4. (Mach.) One of the radial handles projecting from the rim of a steering wheel; also, one of the pins or trundles of a lantern wheel.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rung Rung, imp. & p. p. of Ring.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(rungs) 1. Rung is the past participle of ring. 2. 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. N-COUNT 3. 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... N-COUNT: with supp

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Round (of a ladder).

Moby Thesaurus

amount, caliber, compass, cut, degree, doorstep, extent, footrest, footstep, grade, height, interval, leap, level, mark, measure, notch, nuance, pas, peg, period, pitch, plane, plateau, point, proportion, range, ratio, reach, remove, rest, riser, round, rundle, scale, scope, shade, shadow, space, spoke, stage, stair, standard, stave, step, step stool, stepping-stone, stint, string, tread