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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

Although terribly mauled by the15 Spanish shot, the English admiral and vice-admiral resolved to die fighting rather than let one vessel be taken, although both being good sailors they might have at once saved themselves.

From The Monarchs of the Main, Volume III (of 3) Or, Adventures of the Buccaneers by Thornbury, Walter

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

You shoot the archer,’” said Robert B. Murrett, a retired Navy vice admiral and former Naval intelligence officer who was the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

From New York Times Dec. 23, 2023

The Democratic primary largely centers on Abby Finkenauer, a former congresswoman from northeast Iowa, and Mike Franken, a retired Navy vice admiral.

From Seattle Times Jun. 6, 2022

It was nigh two months before the vice admiral hoisted his flag and set sail.

From Humphrey Bold A Story of the Times of Benbow by Strang, Herbert

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