echelon
Americannoun
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a level of command, authority, or rank.
After years of service, she is now in the upper echelon of city officials.
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a level of worthiness, achievement, or reputation.
studying hard to get into one of the top echelon colleges.
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Military. a formation of troops, ships, airplanes, etc., in which groups of soldiers or individual vehicles or craft are arranged in parallel lines, either with each line extending to the right of the one in front right echelon or with each line extending to the left of the one in front left echelon, so that the whole presents the appearance of steps.
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Military. one of the groups of a formation so arranged.
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Archaic. any structure or group of structures arranged in a steplike form.
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Also called echelon grating. Spectroscopy. a diffraction grating that is used in the resolution of fine structure lines and consists of a series of plates of equal thickness stacked in staircase fashion.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a level of command, responsibility, etc (esp in the phrase the upper echelons )
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military
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a formation in which units follow one another but are offset sufficiently to allow each unit a line of fire ahead
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a group formed in this way
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physics a type of diffraction grating used in spectroscopy consisting of a series of plates of equal thickness arranged stepwise with a constant offset
verb
Pop Culture
—Row echelon form: In linear algebra, a simplified form of a matrix in which each non-zero row has more leading zeros than the previous row. —ECHELON: Code name of a global surveillance system developed by the United States National Security Agency (NSA). It operates by intercepting and processing international communications transmitted via communications satellites. —Third Echelon: A fictional sub-group of the NSA created by Tom Clancy in his Splinter Cell book series.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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echelonsimple
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echelonssimple
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have echelonedperfect
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has echelonedperfect
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am echeloningprogressive
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are echeloningprogressive
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is echeloningprogressive
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have been echeloningperfect progressive
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has been echeloningperfect progressive
Past
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echelonedsimple
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had echelonedperfect
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was echeloningprogressive
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were echeloningprogressive
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had been echeloningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of echelon
First recorded in 1790–1800; from French échelon, originally “rung of a ladder,” from Old French eschelon, equivalent to esch(i)ele “ladder” (from Latin scāla + -on noun suffix; see scale 3)
Explanation
An echelon is a stepped formation with objects arranged in a diagonal. Birds flying in a V shape create echelons so that they can draft behind each other and conserve energy — except for the guy up front, who’s super tired. Echelon patterns are often used by the military, with rows of tanks, troops, or aircraft arranged behind and to the left or behind and to the right of the row ahead. Echelon can also refer to a particular level or rank in a group or society. If you win the Olympics, you’ve reached the upper echelon of athletics. If you win a hot dog eating contest . . . Well, you reached a pretty low echelon of athletics.
Vocabulary lists containing echelon
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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.
See Examples For:
UC leaders have shown a distinct willingness to take on the issue amid changes at the highest echelon of university decision-makers since 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said: "Everything related to agreements belongs to the political echelon... We will continue to operate according to the directives".
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Still, even that kind of perceptiveness and proximity to the top echelon are no shelter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
It’s the season for new stock-market price targets, and Morgan Stanley joined the upper echelon of Wall Street forecasts for the S&P 500 with its new outlook released Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
He read broadly in philosophy, science, art, and religion and was known throughout Chicago’s upper echelon for his ability to converse on almost any subject and to do so with great wit.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
McGovern was also described as a "senior front line operative" and a "confidante" of those in the upper echelons of the organisation.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
McMaster and several other creative colonels, who, at least for a little while, turned around both the Iraq War and the upper echelons of the U.S.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Instead, he explores the wounds inflicted by fame’s piercing orbit, implying that absolution isn’t attained by climbing stardom’s echelons, but by falling just before reaching the top, hitting every last regret on the way down.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
His success helped propel the family to the wealthiest echelons, with an estimated net worth of $11.6 billion in 2024, ranking No. 38 on Forbes magazine’s list of the richest American families.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Here I think I should remind you that my family is long-established in rather the upper echelons of the British aristocracy.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
"Together with our partners we’re working on an integrated & echeloned air defense system. We are preparing for winter on the battlefield," he wrote.
From Reuters ● Nov. 16, 2022
Details such as the echeloned curls, sinuous eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes of the Girl with a Late Period Bob were painstakingly sculpted.
From Time Magazine Archive
General Clark, back in Vienna, had a military metaphor that summed up the conference: "Russia gave us impossible demands, echeloned in depth."
From Time Magazine Archive
Not only were the flights in echelon, but the planes of each unit were also echeloned, each plane being slightly above the one directly ahead.
From Aces Up by Clarke, Covington
The echeloned company formed front to the flank, and the supporting company followed suit.
From A Short History of the 6th Division Aug. 1914-March 1919 by Marden, Thomas Owen, Sir
The echeloning of the specialists in front is also the most favorable formation to progress by rushes in a terrain cut up by shell holes.
From Military Instructors Manual by Schoonmaker, Oliver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
