judge advocate general

American  

noun

Military.

judge advocates general, plural judge advocate generals plural

1. the chief legal officer of an army, navy, or air force.

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judge advocate general British  

noun

1. the civil adviser to the Crown on matters relating to courts martial and on military law generally

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• judge advocate generals
  plural
• judge advocates general
  plural

Etymology

Origin of judge advocate general

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

He is also a veteran who served in the Navy as a judge advocate general.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Navy judge advocate general officer, and Michele Morrow, a former candidate for state superintendent, are also running for the Republican Senate nomination.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

DeSantis served when he was younger as a Navy “JAG,” or judge advocate general, deploying to Iraq.

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2024

One of them, North Charleston Rep. Chris Murphy, praised DeSantis, a former Navy judge advocate general, this month at a Bluffton campaign event as “the only candidate that has worn our nation’s uniform.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 22, 2023

He told me I would have to get a permit from the judge advocate general before he could allow me to talk with Nancy.

From The Lost Despatch by Lincoln, Natalie Sumner