flag officer

noun

: any of the officers in the navy or coast guard above captain compare general officer

Examples of flag officer 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.
Bell recounted his positive experience of speaking at a summit in February that was attended by Coast Guard senior leaders and flag officers. Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2024 This will mean inviting Taiwan to rotate more and larger units through U.S. facilities for training, including Taiwan’s military in multilateral exercises, and sending senior U.S. flag officers with relevant portfolios to visit the island. David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 15 June 2023 To begin with, due to the prestige and pressure of the position, the commanding officer of the royal yacht was always a flag officer, most commonly a Rear Admiral, although the first two to serve were Vice Admirals and Britannia's final CO was a Commodore. Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 16 Nov. 2020 As of mid-September, 319 officers general and flag officer nominations have been held up in the Senate. Ashley Murray, al, 19 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for flag officer 

Word History

Etymology

from such officers being entitled to display a flag with one or more stars indicating rank

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flag officer was in 1665

Dictionary Entries Near flag officer

Cite this Entry

“Flag officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flag%20officer. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!