sergeant major

noun

plural sergeants major or sergeant majors
1
: a noncommissioned officer in the army or marine corps serving as chief administrative assistant in a headquarters
2
: a noncommissioned officer in the marine corps ranking above a first sergeant
3
: a bluish-green to yellow bony fish (Abudefduf saxatilis of the family Pomacentridae) with black vertical stripes on the sides that is widely distributed in the western tropical Atlantic Ocean

Examples of sergeant major in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wearing a uniform like his ancestor wore, its sleeves marked with the insignia of a sergeant major, Morris reflects on his own ambitions. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Dec. 2023 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Relationship Timeline The Windsor Star reported that a former sergeant major was stung in the forehead, marking the only injury from the commotion. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 26 June 2023 Earlier this year, for instance, then-army secretary Ryan McCarthy and sergeant major Michael Grinston pledged to invest in Alaska’s Fort Wainwright army base, where at least six soldiers have died by suicide since December 30 of last year, according to the Guardian. Lisa Kim, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2021 The sergeant major’s nickname was Little Sheep. Katrin Bennhold, BostonGlobe.com, 3 July 2020 Roberts, a retired sergeant major in the U.S. Army, was originally told by authorities last summer to stop feeding cats on public property. David Begnaud, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2022 Navarro, a retired sergeant major of the U.S. Army who spent numerous deployments in the Middle East and North Africa, volunteers for multiple veterans support groups and mental health organizations in the region. Ethan Ehrenhaft, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2022 While Ernest was overseas fighting in the Second World War, Rose had an affair with another soldier, David McEwan, a sergeant major who’d been wounded at Dunkirk. Adam Begley, The Atlantic, 9 Sep. 2022 In 2020, after explosives and S.S. memorabilia were found on the property of a sergeant major, an entire KSK unit was disbanded by the defense minister. New York Times, 15 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sergeant major.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sergeant major was in 1797

Dictionary Entries Near sergeant major

Cite this Entry

“Sergeant major.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sergeant%20major. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sergeant major

noun
plural sergeants major or sergeant majors
1
: a noncommissioned officer (as in the army) serving as chief enlisted assistant in a headquarters
2
: an enlisted person of the highest rank in the army or marines
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