surgeon general
Americannoun
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the chief of medical services in one of the armed forces.
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(initial capital letters) the head of the U.S. Bureau of Public Health or, in some states, of a state health agency.
noun
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(in the British, US, and certain other armies and navies) the senior officer of the medical service
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the head of the public health service in the US
Etymology
Origin of surgeon general
First recorded in 1770–80
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.
On Thursday, the White House withdrew the nomination of Kennedy’s buddy, Casey Means, as surgeon general.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Meanwhile, the surgeon general oversees the more than 6,000-member Public Health Service Commissioned Corps—a uniformed service whose deployment is slower and more costly than civilian alternatives.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
"We'll end up having pockets of outbreaks of different types of infectious diseases," Florida's former surgeon general, Scott Rivkees, told the BBC.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
The requirement came under criticism by Dr. Jerome Adams, a former surgeon general who served under the first Trump administration.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2025
He is closely followed by the future surgeon general Charles H. Crane.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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.
