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Synonyms

major general

American  

noun

  1. a military officer ranking next below a lieutenant general and next above a brigadier general.


major general British  

noun

  1. military an officer immediately junior to a lieutenant general

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of major general

First recorded in 1635–45

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 big systems need to be fixed, and he is doing that,” John Ferrari, a retired Army major general and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said of Feinberg.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Guest: Steven J. Lepper, retired Air Force major general and former deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

From Slate • Dec. 2, 2025

The former major general, Emmanuel Matutu, takes over with immediate effect.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2025

“Uncrewed aerial systems have already taken crewed reconnaissance helicopters out of a lot of their missions,” said Mick Ryan, a former Australian army major general who publishes regular commentaries on the conflict.

From Reuters • Sep. 8, 2023

Having achieved the rank of major general, Garfield resigned his U.S.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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