admiral
Americannoun
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admirals
plural
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the commander in chief of a fleet.
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a naval officer of the highest rank.
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a naval officer of a high rank: the grades in the U.S. Navy are fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, and rear admiral.
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Obsolete. the flagship of an admiral.
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British. a master who directs a fishing fleet.
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any of several often brightly colored butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, as Vanessa atalanta red admiral.
noun
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the supreme commander of a fleet or navy
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Also called: admiral of the fleet, fleet admiral. a naval officer of the highest rank, equivalent to general of the army or field marshal
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a senior naval officer entitled to fly his own flag See also rear admiral vice admiral
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the master of a fishing fleet
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any of various nymphalid butterflies, esp the red admiral or white admiral
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of admiral
1175–1225; Middle English, variant of amiral < Old French < Arabic amīr al commander of the; -d- < Medieval Latin admīrābilis mundī for Arabic amīr al-mu'minīn commander of the faithful; or with replacement of a- 5 by ad-, as in administer
Explanation
An admiral is the commander of a fleet. In the navy, admiral is one of the highest ranks. The military is full of rankings, such as captain, private, major, and corporal. Another is admiral, a ranking specific to the navy. While a captain is in charge of one ship, an admiral leads more than one ship: a bunch of ships, which are called a fleet. There are also a few different types of admirals, such as full admiral and vice admiral. Similarly, Battlestar Galactica’s Commander Adama becomes Admiral Adama as a result of leading more than one ship.
Vocabulary lists containing admiral
English Words Derived from Arabic
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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:
The Navy's submarine rear admiral, Andy Perks, described HMS Agamemnon's arrival as a "significant milestone".
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
According to myth, Hedberg will be the first of his class to become an admiral.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
"I don't think a solution solely through armed confrontation is viable," said former admiral Pablo Romero, echoing doubts about De la Espriella's strategy.
From Barron's ● Jun. 20, 2026
Navy rear admiral told the BBC Radio4’s Today program that clearing the mines could take “weeks to months.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
The admiral turned and clicked his heels at the boys.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
A group of 72 retired US generals, admirals, and other high-ranking military officers are pressing the US government to cancel plans to livestream an execution by firing squad.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the United States has slashed the number of its generals and admirals by 20 percent, in a move he said is aimed at "accountability."
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
By one account, he has blocked the advancement of more than 80 generals and admirals.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
The changing-of-command ceremony was memorable, including 17-gun salutes for each of the outgoing and incoming admirals and a 19-gun salute for my new friend, the CNO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The admirals, heavy with responsibility, paced their quarter-decks with ponderous tread.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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