admiral
Americannoun
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admirals
plural
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the commander in chief of a fleet.
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a naval officer of the highest rank.
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a naval officer of a high rank: the grades in the U.S. Navy are fleet admiral, admiral, vice-admiral, and rear admiral.
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Obsolete. the flagship of an admiral.
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British. a master who directs a fishing fleet.
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any of several often brightly colored butterflies of the family Nymphalidae, as Vanessa atalanta red admiral.
noun
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the supreme commander of a fleet or navy
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Also called: admiral of the fleet. fleet admiral. a naval officer of the highest rank, equivalent to general of the army or field marshal
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a senior naval officer entitled to fly his own flag See also rear admiral vice admiral
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the master of a fishing fleet
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any of various nymphalid butterflies, esp the red admiral or white admiral
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of admiral
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
Explanation
An admiral is the commander of a fleet. In the navy, admiral is one of the highest ranks. The military is full of rankings, such as captain, private, major, and corporal. Another is admiral, a ranking specific to the navy. While a captain is in charge of one ship, an admiral leads more than one ship: a bunch of ships, which are called a fleet. There are also a few different types of admirals, such as full admiral and vice admiral. Similarly, Battlestar Galactica’s Commander Adama becomes Admiral Adama as a result of leading more than one ship.
Vocabulary lists containing admiral
English Words Derived from Arabic
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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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.
See Examples For:
Known for his signature "cop" and "admiral" stage personas, Willis left the group in 1980.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
According to myth, Hedberg will be the first of his class to become an admiral.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Navy rear admiral told the BBC Radio4’s Today program that clearing the mines could take “weeks to months.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
The promotion from captain to rear admiral is one of the most competitive in the Navy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
The admiral began to march, and the children fell in behind.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
One of Britain’s admirals described it as “the most bold and daring act of the age.”
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Since stepping into the role, Hegseth has blocked or fired at least two dozen admirals and generals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
The officers on the original list were selected by a board of admirals that are governed by “precepts” set by the service secretaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
To promote his call for a separate air force, Mitchell exaggerated the outcome—including the apocryphal claim that admirals witnessing the demonstration “wept aloud” as the target went under.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
He was James Forrestal, the Secretary of the Navy, and he was standing right next to General Howling Mad Smith and two admirals.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
