major general

noun

|Updated on: 29 Jul 2018

Definition of major general

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

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Recent Examples of major general from the Web

Sentimental buccaneers and bumbling bobbies will share the stage with an eccentric major general.

— tom titus, latimes.com, "On Theater: Vanguard University schedules shows for summer and its 2018-19 season," 31 May 2018
Of these, there are ten generals, fifty lieutenant generals, 121 major generals, and 133 brigadier generals.

— zoe szathmary, Fox News, "US Army by the numbers," 13 June 2018
The entrance to the State House is named after Joseph Hooker, a major general and commander who was born in Hadley and was part of the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War, according to a biography on History.com.

— steve annear, BostonGlobe.com, "A lawmaker said the State House’s General Hooker sign is ‘tone deaf.’ Social media responded," 15 Mar. 2018
And Brian Bengston is the very model of a perfect major general.

— jack helbig, Chicago Reader, "After 139 years, Pirates of Penzance is still a satisfying combination of sweet and salty," 27 June 2018
In the midafternoon of January 11, 2007, US Air Force major general William Shelton sat at the head of a table in a command center at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, holding a telephone to each ear.

— garrett m. graff, WIRED, "The New Arms Race Threatening to Explode in Space," 26 June 2018
The young major general became a sort of surrogate son to George Washington, and served valiantly in the battles of Brandywine and Yorktown.

— cincinnati enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Our history: Thousands welcomed war hero Lafayette in 1825," 20 June 2018
Almaras and Saldivar have experience with a major general-menu restaurant chain.

— bud kennedy, star-telegram, "New steaks and sizzle out west, plus here's a seafood house where Dad eats free," 11 June 2018
But after a meeting with the Army major general who headed Centcom’s intelligence wing, Nunes came back to Washington empty-handed.

— jason zengerle, New York Times, "How Devin Nunes Turned the House Intelligence Committee Inside Out," 24 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'major general.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.