master sergeant

American

noun

Army, Air Force, Marine Corps. a noncommissioned officer ranking next to the highest noncommissioned officer.
U.S. Air Force. a noncommissioned officer of one of the three top enlisted grades.

master sergeant British

noun

a senior noncommissioned officer in the US Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps and certain other military forces, ranking immediately below the most senior noncommissioned rank

"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

Etymology

Origin of master sergeant

First recorded in 1930–35

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.

Ross’ dedicated focus on landscape painting has deep roots in his time spent stationed in Alaska with the United States Air Force, where he eventually rose to the rank of master sergeant.

From Salon • May 2, 2026

Koslow is a retired state command chief master sergeant in the California Air National Guard, according to his campaign website.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a master sergeant in the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

Prosecutors alleged that Van Dyke, a master sergeant with the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Charlie would go on to become a master sergeant.

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

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