general officer

American  

noun

Military.

1. an officer ranking above colonel.

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general officer British  

noun

1. an officer holding a commission of brigadier's rank or above in the army, air force, or marine corps

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Etymology

Origin of general officer

An Americanism dating back to 1635–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

general officer

Feinberg picked a new class of portfolio managers from the general officer corps to oversee particularly expensive weapons programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

Officials said the verdict marks the first court-martial and conviction of a general officer in the Air Force’s 75-year history.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 23, 2022

Officials said the verdict marks the first court-martial trial and conviction of a general officer in the Air Force’s 75-year history.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 23, 2022

In 1979, Mr. Powell, then 42, was promoted to one-star general, becoming the youngest general officer in the Army at the time.

From New York Times ● Oct. 18, 2021

I talked unreservedly with the private soldier and the general officer, with the merchant and the citizen, and by all was regarded as a stanch Southern man, whose interests and sympathies were wedded to rebellion.

From The Spy of the Rebellion Being a True History of the Spy System of the United States Army during the Late Rebellion, by Pinkerton, Allan