brigadier general

American  

noun

U.S. Army.

• brigadier generals
  plural

1. an officer of the rank between colonel and major general.

---

brigadier general British  

noun

1. an officer of the US Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps who holds a rank junior to a major general but senior to a colonel, usually commanding a brigade

2. the former name for a brigadier

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brigadier generals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brigadier general

First recorded in 1680–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brigadier general

"It shows that America is seriously coming to the table," said Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Retired US brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who has 400 hours of combat flight experience, said a pilot's training would likely kick in before he or she parachutes to the ground.

From Barron's ● Apr. 4, 2026

Army brigadier general who held senior roles in the Defense and State Departments under previous administrations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

As a result, Finerty was demoted to brigadier general.

From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2025

Bush learned that he had a new teammate from the army only when Groves, who had been promoted to brigadier general upon taking over the bomb project, showed up at his office on September 17.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik