Wiktionary
vb. (context idiomatic English) To assert one's authority over a subordinate who disagrees.
Usage examples of "pull rank".
Durine wouldn't have liked to have tried to pull rank on the Captain, but this serving girl was another matter.
In the end I had to pull rank on him to get the tetrameth, but he jacked me.
There were times when Auerbach had been tempted to pull rank himself.
I finally went over his head, got Alessandro Li to pull rank on him, and Cholayna—.
He could pull rank on his brother, but too often he allowed him to talk back and then he invariably lost the argument.
He could pull rank on his brother, but too often he allowed him to talk back and men he invariably lost the argument.
He turned to glare at Tomiyano's retreating back and saw the grins on the other sailors standing beyond -- that would teach him to pull rank on the captain in front of strangers!
Being a real general apparently lets you pull rank when it comes to comm channels.