rear admiral

noun

: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard having either of two ranks:
a
: one who ranks above a captain

called also rear admiral (lower half)

b
: one who ranks above a rear admiral (lower half) and below a vice admiral

called also rear admiral (upper half)

Examples of rear admiral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web May, who rose to rear admiral, also contributed to an effort to guarantee the survival of Montauk Point Lighthouse. Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 After logging 504 hours in space, Mr. Mattingly retired as a rear admiral and worked in the private sector for many years, primarily for aerospace companies. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023 Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro issued censure letters to the three rear admirals, the Navy said in a news release. CBS News, 29 Sep. 2023 The staff includes civilian and military personnel overseen by Monahan, who also holds the rank of U.S. Navy rear admiral. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 11 Sep. 2023 Obama named him physician to the president in 2013 and promoted him to rear admiral in 2016. Todd J. Gillman, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023 His absence means that a rear admiral normally stationed at Redstone overseeing missile testing is instead temporarily filling in as acting director of the Missile Defense Agency. Alexandra Heal, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2023 Jablon, the rear admiral, gave some more details on how US Navy subs are dispersed. Eric Cheung, CNN, 5 Apr. 2023 In 2017, the school renamed Calhoun College — named after John C. Calhoun, a 19th-century Yale alumnus, U.S. vice president and slavery supporter — as Grace Hopper College, in honor of the pioneering mathematician and Navy rear admiral who earned Yale degrees in the 1930s. Dave Collins, ajc, 27 Oct. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rear admiral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rear admiral was in 1589

Dictionary Entries Near rear admiral

Cite this Entry

“Rear admiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rear%20admiral. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

rear admiral

noun
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of vice admiral

More from Merriam-Webster on rear admiral

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