- an officer immediately junior to a lieutenant general
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ˈma•jor ˈgen•er•al, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Militarya military officer ranking below a lieutenant general and above a brigadier.
ma′jor gen′eral,
ma′jor-gen′er•al•cy, ma′jor-gen′er•al•ship′, n.
- Militarya military officer ranking next below a lieutenant general and next above a brigadier general.
- 1635–45
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
major general n
'major general' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
brigadier
- air vice-marshal
- brigadier general
- division
- general
- Goethals
- lieutenant general
- Maj. Gen.
- MG
- Taylor
- two-star
- Van Rensselaer
- Steuben