surgeon general

American  

noun

• surgeons general
  plural

1. the chief of medical services in one of the armed forces.

2. (initial capital letters) the head of the U.S. Bureau of Public Health or, in some states, of a state health agency.

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surgeon general British  

noun

1. (in the British, US, and certain other armies and navies) the senior officer of the medical service

2. the head of the public health service in the US

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• surgeons general
  plural

Etymology

Origin of surgeon general

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surgeon general

And yet, we’re the first generation to receive a formal advisory on parental stress from the surgeon general.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Social isolation among older adults alone accounts for about $6.7 billion in excess Medicare spending a year, largely due to increased hospital and nursing-facility spending, the former surgeon general said in a report.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 19, 2026

Meanwhile, the surgeon general oversees the more than 6,000-member Public Health Service Commissioned Corps—a uniformed service whose deployment is slower and more costly than civilian alternatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

Lurie said that usually the most powerful surgeon general reports are those that leave consumers with the ability to make changes themselves or that might spur policy change.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2026

He is closely followed by the future surgeon general Charles H. Crane.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly