lieutenant general

noun

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

Examples of lieutenant general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But Eisenkot, a retired lieutenant general, isn’t on his preferred battlefield. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2026

Since 2022, according to data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the party has formally purged three dozen generals and lieutenant generals, and many more are conspicuously missing. — Andrew Mertha, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

Douglas Lute, a retired Army lieutenant general, is a critic of the Iran war and does not support using ground troops. — Greg Myre, NPR, 18 July 2026

The toll includes five lieutenant generals, seven major generals and three former generals. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lieutenant general

noun

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