first sergeant
noun
1
: a noncommissioned officer serving as the chief assistant to the commander of a military unit (such as a company or squadron)
2
: the rank of a first sergeant
specifically
: a rank in the army above a sergeant first class and below a sergeant major and in the marine corps above a gunnery sergeant and below a master gunnery sergeant
Examples of first sergeant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The award citation for Arnold, one of several read aloud at the ceremony, revealed that a fellow first sergeant was one of the victims.
—
Davis Winkie, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
By 1970, Nghệ had become a first sergeant and an experienced war photographer.
—Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
Aletha Calloway enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school, working her way up the ranks in various assignments, becoming a field recruiter, guidance counselor and eventually tapped to be first sergeant of a recruiting battalion in Syracuse, New York.
—Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Nov. 2024
His favorite position, however, was as a first sergeant tasked with leading and training soldiers.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2024
On July 5th, the African rank and file of the Force Publique were growing restless; for one thing, despite independence, no Congolese soldier had been promoted above the level of first sergeant major.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
Services available to military members in crisis on JBER include the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, Chaplain Corps, Mental Health Clinic professionals, Military and Family Life Counselors, Family Advocacy and a military member’s first sergeant or chain of command, according to Staff Sgt.
—Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 26 June 2021
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Davis Winkie, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2025
By 1970, Nghệ had become a first sergeant and an experienced war photographer.
—Gary Knight, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
Aletha Calloway enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school, working her way up the ranks in various assignments, becoming a field recruiter, guidance counselor and eventually tapped to be first sergeant of a recruiting battalion in Syracuse, New York.
—Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Nov. 2024
His favorite position, however, was as a first sergeant tasked with leading and training soldiers.
—Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2024
On July 5th, the African rank and file of the Force Publique were growing restless; for one thing, despite independence, no Congolese soldier had been promoted above the level of first sergeant major.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023
Services available to military members in crisis on JBER include the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, Chaplain Corps, Mental Health Clinic professionals, Military and Family Life Counselors, Family Advocacy and a military member’s first sergeant or chain of command, according to Staff Sgt.
—Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 26 June 2021
Cite this Entry
“First sergeant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20sergeant. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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