rear admiral
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rear admiral
First recorded in 1580–90
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.
Navy rear admiral told the BBC Radio4’s Today program that clearing the mines could take “weeks to months.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
When Robert Duvall was floundering around in college, his father, a career Navy man who retired with the rank of rear admiral, told him to shape up — and start acting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
Critical Metals, a British Virgin Islands-based company developing a rare-earth mine in Greenland, last year appointed a retired four-star general and a retired rear admiral to an advisory board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026
Navy’s senior officers, is one notch below rear admiral, the lowest-ranking flag officer.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
A Japanese rear admiral, Masafumi Arima, was the first kamikaze pilot.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
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.
