sergeant major

noun

plural sergeants major or sergeant majors

1

: a noncommissioned officer in the army or marine corps serving as chief administrative assistant in a headquarters

2

: a noncommissioned officer in the marine corps ranking above a first sergeant

3

: a bluish-green to yellow bony fish (Abudefduf saxatilis of the family Pomacentridae) with black vertical stripes on the sides that is widely distributed in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean

Examples of sergeant major in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dennis Quaid and Esai Morales show up briefly as a sergeant major and a first sergeant, respectively, who try to persuade No. 81 to withdraw his over-the-hill ass from the Ranger program. —Chris Klimek, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

In this sergeant major’s war against the Conservatives, there are to be no truces. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 31 Jan. 2026

Matan Angrest Angrest, a sergeant major in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) was taken while fighting as a tank driver. —Callum Sutherland, Time, 13 Oct. 2025

Circling brain coral were all types of neon fish — sergeant major, parrot, squirrel, angel and butterfly — all reminiscent of Dr. Seuss book escapees. —Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sergeant major

• ager
• gauger
• pager
• stager
• wager
• yager
• teenager

Kids Definition

sergeant major

noun

plural sergeants major or sergeant majors

1

: a noncommissioned officer (as in the army) serving as chief enlisted assistant in a headquarters

2

: an enlisted person of the highest rank in the army or marines