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  • vice-admiral
    vice-admiral
    noun
    a naval officer next in rank below an admiral.
  • vice admiral
    vice admiral
    noun
    a commissioned officer of flag rank in certain navies, junior to an admiral and senior to a rear admiral

vice-admiral

American  
[vahys-ad-mer-uhl] / ˈvaɪsˈæd mər əl /

noun

  1. a naval officer next in rank below an admiral.


vice admiral British  

noun

  1. a commissioned officer of flag rank in certain navies, junior to an admiral and senior to a rear admiral

"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


Etymology

Origin of vice-admiral

First recorded in 1510–20


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.

See Examples For:

The current acting DNI, Joseph Maguire, is a retired vice-admiral and former head of the National Counterterrorism Center.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 19, 2020

Harward is a retired vice-admiral, Navy SEAL, and counterterrorism expert who—unlike most of the Trump team—has experience in policymaking, too.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 17, 2017

“Up until now, we have not found innocent people mixed up in these events,” said Manzanillo police chief Miguel Ángel García, a retired vice-admiral, repeating a refrain heard often in Mexico.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 28, 2016

Eventually, the panic over Crossroads prompted William Blandy, the vice-admiral in charge of orchestrating the tests, to release one of the more memorable official denials in modern history:

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 25, 2016

He next met an old pirate, Mansvelt by name, who was then engaged in forming and manning a fleet, and who offered Morgan the post of vice-admiral in his expedition, which the latter accepted.

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3 by Frederick Whymper

Navy vice admiral and former commander of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

It was drummer Chris Frantz who enlisted Byrne to join one such band; bassist Tina Weymouth, Frantz’s girlfriend and the daughter of a decorated Navy vice admiral, played bass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2025

The retired vice admiral attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as Top Gun, and he holds the national record for carrier-arrested landings with over 2,000 mishap-free landings.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

Anne rode in a car behind the hearse with Mr. Laurence, a vice admiral in the Royal Navy whom she met when he was serving on the royal yacht Britannia.

From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2022

He was regarded as possessing a very special knowledge of personnel, and as vice admiral became second sea lord under Barham in 1804.

From Some Principles of Maritime Strategy by Julian S. (Julian Stafford) Corbett

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