colonel
noun
an officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps ranking between lieutenant colonel and brigadier general: corresponding to a captain in the U.S. Navy.
colonels
-
pluralof colonel.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Since regulations required that department heads be colonels, not generals, Lincoln even took a demotion in his rank and was never again promoted.
From Slate ● Feb. 9, 2026
"The mutiny, led by colonels Charles Andrianasoavina and Lylison René de Rolland, upset the balance of power and led to Rajoelina's seizure of power," said Razakamaharavo.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
By contrast, many authoritarian leaders are colorless, possessing little or no charisma: Consider Francisco Franco, Antonio Salazar, the Greek colonels, Leopoldo Galtieri, Augusto Pinochet, Park Chung-hee.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2025
With more than 1 million tons of concrete, steel, earth and plants already removed from the burn areas, two colonels overseeing the operation reached for superlatives to describe the scope of the work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2025
He now had two full colonels; General Dreedle had only five, and four of those were combat commanders.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
