surgeon general

noun

plural surgeons general
: the chief medical officer of a branch of the armed services or of a public health service

Examples of surgeon general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The state’s surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has come under criticism for his response after declining to order unvaccinated children to stay home during the outbreak. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Devika Bhushan is a pediatrician and public health leader who previously served as California’s acting surgeon general. Tina Shah and Devika Bhushan, STAT, 25 Jan. 2024 The internal debate, described by officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly, comes on the 60th anniversary of the landmark warning by the surgeon general urging Americans not to smoke. Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2024 Last year, the U.S. surgeon general issued an advisory warning of the effects of social media on mental health in young people. USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024 And, per the U.S. surgeon general, loneliness increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%. Lauren Peace, Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024 Then in 1964, the surgeon general had a specific report on the association with smoking and cancer, which led to lots of campaigns and things. Angus Chen, STAT, 27 Dec. 2023 Our social lives are suffering, too, which prompted the U.S. surgeon general to declare a national advisory last year about our surging epidemic of loneliness. J. David Creswell, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 Advertisement The lawmakers at the Monday news conference cited research published by the U.S. surgeon general last year as evidence of the harms that social media use inflicts on minors. Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surgeon general.' 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

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of surgeon general was in 1706

Dictionary Entries Near surgeon general

Cite this Entry

“Surgeon general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surgeon%20general. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

surgeon general

noun
plural surgeons general
: the chief medical officer of a branch of the armed services or of a public health service

Medical Definition

surgeon general

noun
plural surgeons general
: the chief medical officer of a branch of the armed services or of a public health service
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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