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Definitions

corporate ladder

NOUN
pecking order
Synonyms
STRONGEST
food chain hierarchy power structure social structure
WEAK
chain of command class structure dominance due order echelons grouping line of dominance order placing position ranking scale social hierarchy social ladder social pyramid social stratification

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But AI’s advance has raised bigger questions about what company org charts might look like in the future, and how mid-level, mid-career employees might move up the corporate ladder.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 1, 2026

"By the end of it, I really felt like I'd worked an office job and climbed the corporate ladder," Turner says.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

He climbed the corporate ladder, bought a spacious four-bedroom home for his family and saved for a comfortable retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

If you're considering leaving your current employer to start your own business, for example, the years spent climbing the corporate ladder are not necessarily wasted.

From Salon • Dec. 15, 2024

He also believes that employees further up the corporate ladder cheat more than those down below.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.