thin the ranksLESSif something thins the ranks of a group of people, there are fewer of them as a result of it 减少人员 Illness had thinned our ranks. 疾病使我们的人员减少了。
thin the ranks• But the sector suffered like chemicals and shipping from cyclical downturns in world demand which thinned the ranks.• Higher prices have thinned the ranks of prospective home owners.
→ thin the ranks at thin2(1)