brigadier

[ brig-uh-deer ]

noun

1. British Military. a rank between colonel and major general.
2. U.S. Army Informal. a brigadier general.
3. History/Historical. a noncommissioned rank in the Napoleonic armies.

brigadier

/ ˌbrɪɡəˈdɪə /

noun

1. an officer of the British Army or Royal Marines who holds a rank junior to a major general but senior to a colonel, usually commanding a brigade
2. an equivalent rank in other armed forces
3. army short for brigadier general
4. history a noncommissioned rank in the armies of Napoleon I

Other Words From

• briga·diership noun
• under·briga·dier noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of brigadier¹

1670–80; < French: officer commanding a brigade; brigade, -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of brigadier¹

C17: from French, from brigade

Example Sentences

I glared at the toilet, glinting like a smug brigadier in the twilight.

From Outside Online

Fifteen were reportedly wounded in the incident, including a German brigadier general.

From The Daily Beast

Longtime Quds Force chief Brigadier General Qassem Soleimani is reportedly in Baghdad, which indicates the severity of the crisis.

From The Daily Beast

Eleven out of 23 governors wear uniforms as well and even the president of the national airline, Conviasa, is a brigadier general.

From The Daily Beast

Shortly after the wedding, Pershing was promoted to brigadier-general, overstepping 835 more senior officers.

From The Daily Beast

Army spokesman Yoav Mordechai, a brigadier general, said the operation was not limited in time.

From The Daily Beast

When this last shred of hope was gone, the Brigadier reluctantly gave the order to retreat.

From Project Gutenberg

The stout brigadier grunted an assent and rolled monumentally down the Avenue.

From Project Gutenberg

And yet they tell me he was a pleasant enough fellow in the Mess, this Brigadier, and liked good cooking.

From Project Gutenberg

Colonel Campbell was promoted to a Brigadier-General as a direct result of this battle.

From Project Gutenberg

And later, when he went in to report to Garces, the brigadier commanding the Division, he took the message with him.

From Project Gutenberg