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.
Reuters — Romania detained six people on charges of trying to overthrow the state with Russia’s help, prosecutors said on Thursday, and a 101-year-old former army major general said his home had been raided as part of the investigation. Reuters, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025 After defeating the Creek peoples in Alabama in 1814, he was promoted to major general and made his way south to the headquarters of the Army’s seventh district: New Orleans. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025 Soon after Park’s death, Chun Doo-hwan, an army major general, seized power in a coup and declared martial law, arresting opponents, closing universities, banning political activities and stifling the press. Nectar Gan, CNN, 4 Dec. 2024 One of us, Antonio Taguba, as a major general in the U.S. Army, authored a 2004 internal army report on prisoner abuse at the U.S. detention facility in Abu Ghraib, Iraq. Antonio Taguba and Scott Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2017 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 28 Mar. 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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