surgeon general
noun
plural surgeons general
: the chief medical officer of a branch of the armed services or of a public health service
Examples of surgeon general in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some prior work from the surgeon general has greatly influenced public health over the past decades, such as the 1964 report that concluded that cigarette smoking is a major cause of lung cancer in both men and women.
—
Will McDuffie, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2025
Less than a year into his tenure as HHS secretary, Kennedy’s approach was challenged by six former surgeons general who served under both Republicans and Democrats.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2025
The idea is to mimic the surgeon general warnings on cigarettes.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
The former surgeon general called it the new epidemic.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surgeon general
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.
Will McDuffie, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2025
Less than a year into his tenure as HHS secretary, Kennedy’s approach was challenged by six former surgeons general who served under both Republicans and Democrats.
—Anna Clark, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2025
The idea is to mimic the surgeon general warnings on cigarettes.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
The former surgeon general called it the new epidemic.
—Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surgeon general
Cite this Entry
“Surgeon general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surgeon%20general. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share