admiral
Americannoun
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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
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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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.
American forces, an admiral said, “have cleared an effective pathway for ships to leave at this point.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
Crude prices surged Monday -- with Brent up almost six percent -- after a US admiral said US forces sank six small Iranian boats.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
The United States shot down multiple Iranian missiles and drones fired at US Navy and commercial vessels and destroyed six of Tehran's small boats, a top US admiral said on Monday.
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
Butterfly species which are doing well include the Red admiral, some of which are now spending winter in the UK as the climate warms.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
The admiral wiggled and kicked, which made him swing wildly, like a piñata in the midst of being beaten.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
