general staff

American

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

a group of officers who are without command and whose duty is to assist high commanders in planning and carrying out orders in peace and war.

general staff British

noun

officers assigned to advise commanders in the planning and execution of military operations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

France also authorized temporary access to U.S. aircraft on bases located on French soil, a French army general staff official told Reuters.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Haddad had been the army's chief of general staff since August 2020 and was appointed by then-prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

From Barron's • Dec. 23, 2025

The signatories include three former chiefs of the general staff, a former chief of the air staff and former deputy supreme allied commanders of NATO.

From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025

Putin, wearing a camouflage military uniform, met with Russia’s chief of the general staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, according to a video released by the Kremlin on Sunday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

It was like a newspaper on election night; general staff headquarters on D-Day minus one.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023