pull rank
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
‘ Well, fancy ' i m with the ' ook, pulling rank like that then?
In case the Minister thought of pulling rank, Brownlow added, ‘ Your wife's in very great danger; I'm sure you realize that.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “pull rank” mean?
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Is “pull rank” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.