flag officer
Americannoun
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a naval officer above the rank of captain, such as a fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, rear admiral, or commodore, who is entitled to display a flag indicating their rank.
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(formerly) an officer in command of a fleet, squadron, or group of ships.
noun
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an officer in certain navies of the rank of rear admiral or above and entitled to fly its flag
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the head of a boat or yacht club
Etymology
Origin of flag officer
First recorded in 1655–65
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.
The only U.S. flag officer to win a Pulitzer, Adm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
He wrote that “the size of the general and flag officer corps has become increasingly out of balance with the size of the force it leads.”
From Washington Times ● Jan. 29, 2023
He distinguished himself at the Pentagon even before he attained flag officer rank.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 4, 2021
Capt. Bruyere, who specialized in recruiting and personnel, never became a flag officer during her 28 years in the Navy.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2020
A year later Captain Hood was employed in Trinidad as a commissioner, and, upon the death of the flag officer commanding the Leeward station, he succeeded him as Commodore.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
