major general

noun

: a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps who ranks above a brigadier general and whose insignia is two stars

Examples of major general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The retired major general first met Corcoran when Smith was a member of a panel in 2018 speaking to a multi-national student population at Fort Benning, Georgia on LGBTQ rights in the U.S. military. Kansas City Star, 8 July 2025 An extravagant estate long owned by the late Orange County Air Force major general turned homebuilder and civic leader William Lyon has roared onto the market in Southern California. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 June 2025 Iranian media and the Israeli military said Israel’s strikes on Thursday killed Iran’s top military officer, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, as well as the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, and a major general in the Revolutionary Guards, Gholam Ali Rashid. Dan De Luce, NBC news, 14 June 2025 To address this, the Senate also promoted Caine to be a major general in the Air Force overnight. Jade Walker, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for major general

Word History

Etymology

French major général, from major, noun + général, adjective, general

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of major general was in 1633

Cite this Entry

“Major general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/major%20general. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

major general

noun
: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of lieutenant general

More from Merriam-Webster on major general

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