top brass
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of top brass
An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
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.
John Nagl, who strongly felt that the Army’s top brass were too hidebound to the old ways of warfighting—large-scale tank-and-infantry battles—and were blocking the promotions of officers who were fighting counterinsurgency battles in the field.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Burnley's top brass were more ambitious in the markets, signing experienced players such as Kyle Walker, but one look at Armando Broja's injury record should have told them to keep their £20m in their pocket.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Live images streamed before the leaders arrived showed a jovial atmosphere, with several among the top brass of China's ruling Communist Party seen chatting and smiling with members of Trump's administration.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Yet whatever the top brass says, recent FDA actions tell a more complicated story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
The top brass also remembered all too well how Yardley’s boastful book had made Japan dump its old codes and ciphers, then create much harder ones.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
