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View synonyms for admiral

admiral

[ad-mer-uhl]

noun

  1. the commander in chief of a fleet.

  2. a naval officer of the highest rank.

  3. a naval officer of a high rank: the grades in the U.S. Navy are fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, and rear admiral.

  4. Obsolete.,  the flagship of an admiral.

  5. British.,  a master who directs a fishing fleet.

  6. any of several often brightly colored butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, as Vanessa atalanta red admiral.



admiral

/ ˈædmərəl /

noun

  1. the supreme commander of a fleet or navy

  2. Also called: admiral of the fleet fleet admirala naval officer of the highest rank, equivalent to general of the army or field marshal

  3. a senior naval officer entitled to fly his own flag See also rear admiral vice admiral

  4. the master of a fishing fleet

  5. any of various nymphalid butterflies, esp the red admiral or white admiral

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • admiralship noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of admiral1

1175–1225; Middle English, variant of amiral < Old French < Arabic amīr al commander of the; -d- < Medieval Latin admīrābilis mundī for Arabic amīr al-mu'minīn commander of the faithful; or with replacement of a- 5 by ad-, as in administer
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Word History and Origins

Origin of admiral1

C13: amyral, from Old French amiral emir, and from Medieval Latin admīrālis (the spelling with d probably influenced by admīrābilis admirable); both from Arabic amīr emir, commander, esp in the phrase amīr-al commander of, as in amīr-al-bahr commander of the sea
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Navy admiral overseeing the buildup of military assets in the Caribbean is stepping down early.

The US admiral responsible for overseeing controversial strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean said Thursday he will retire just a year into his tenure.

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These commenters were denounced at the time by New Zealand's defence minister as "armchair admirals".

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In response, Sheinbaum defended the admiral and said he helped denounce the thievery.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“I call it the N-word,” the American head of state said in remarks to the nation’s admirals and generals, speaking about a decision to deploy nuclear-powered submarines off the coast of Russia.

Read more on Salon

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admirable boleteAdmiral of the Fleet