brigadier

American  

[brig-uh-deer] / ˌbrɪg əˈdɪər /

noun

• brigadiers
  plural

1. British Military. a rank between colonel and major general.

2. U.S. Army Informal. a brigadier general.

3. History/Historical. a noncommissioned rank in the Napoleonic armies.

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brigadier British  

/ ˌbrɪɡəˈdɪə /

noun

1. an officer of the British Army or Royal Marines who holds a rank junior to a major general but senior to a colonel, usually commanding a brigade

2. an equivalent rank in other armed forces

3. army short for brigadier general

4. history a noncommissioned rank in the armies of Napoleon I

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• brigadiership
  noun
• underbrigadier
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• brigadiers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of brigadier

1670–80; < French: officer commanding a brigade; see brigade, -ier ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brigadier brigadiers

De Gaulle, on the other hand, was a mere brigadier and junior minister who had fled his country after the French government announced in 1940 that it would seek an armistice with Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 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

As a result, Finerty was demoted to brigadier general.

From Salon ● Mar. 4, 2025

A rare collection of 12 medals awarded to a brigadier have fetched £100,000 at auction.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2024

I said nothing to the brigadier, for I knew the decision had not been his.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

In an unprecedented undertaking by a democratic government, the trial of the juntas directly established the guilt of former presidents, admirals and brigadiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2023

“It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Josep, the last of our admired brigadiers still alive,” association chairman Almudena Cros said on its website on Tuesday.

From Reuters ● May 25, 2021

Nineteen colonels and brigadiers in their 50s and 60s graduated after several months of study with American and French instructors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2010

Generals, brigadiers and colonels hopped briskly to one side as imperturbable British painters dragged their ladders, pails and paintpots through the busy halls of London's District Office Building.

From Time Magazine Archive

“And were here to save this building,” one of the fire brigadiers said.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

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