brigadier

American  

[brig-uh-deer] / ˌbrɪg əˈdɪər /

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.

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brigadier British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• brigadiership noun
• underbrigadier noun

Etymology

Origin of brigadier

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

Example Sentences

De Gaulle, on the other hand, was a mere brigadier and junior minister who had fled his country after the French government announced in 1940 that it would seek an armistice with Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

"The French nation posthumously promotes Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general," the law reads.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

As a result, Finerty was demoted to brigadier general.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025

A rare collection of 12 medals awarded to a brigadier have fetched £100,000 at auction.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2024

It had come from a brigadier general at the War Department, Military Intelligence Division.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand