1. Systems or organizations in which people or things are arranged in order of rank, authority, or importance.
Usage: Plural of hierarchy; commonly used in business, government, and social contexts.
2. Arrangements of items, concepts, or categories organized at different levels, with each level subordinate to the one above it.
Usage: Used in academic, scientific, and technical contexts.

Examples

• Most large corporations have strict hierarchies with executives at the top and entry-level workers at the bottom.
• The military operates through clear hierarchies of rank and command.
• In biological classification, hierarchies organize organisms from kingdom down to species.
• Social hierarchies in schools often determine which students have more influence.
• The company is trying to flatten its hierarchies to improve communication between departments.
• Religious hierarchies typically place spiritual leaders in positions of authority.
• Data structures in computer science often use hierarchies to organize information efficiently.