sergeant major
noun
plural sergeants major
or sergeant majors
Definition of sergeant major
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
As sergeant major, Grinston will serve as the Army chief of staff's personal adviser on matters affecting the enlisted force. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al.com, "Alabama native is Army’s new top enlisted leader," 17 June 2019 Zarucchi, once an Olympic skier and now a sergeant major at Swiss customs, has confiscated 19 shahtooshes during the past five years. — National Geographic, "A rare antelope is being killed to make $20,000 scarves," 24 Apr. 2019 Canley, now 80 and a retired sergeant major, carried several wounded Marines while under heavy enemy fire and assumed command to maintain the unit’s organization and morale in what’s known as the most chaotic battle of the Vietnam War. — Frank Miles, Fox News, "Marine veteran, 80, will get Medal of Honor for Vietnam valor," 25 Sep. 2018 The sergeant major and the chief have taught me to respect what goes into these jobs. — Billy Baker, BostonGlobe.com, "Planting flags, hanging wreaths, and learning lessons," 26 May 2018 He was promoted to sergeant major on Oct. 16, 1918, at the age of 19. — Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, "If These Walls Could Talk: 7 Stories Of Connecticut Soldiers Who Left Their Names In French Caves," 25 May 2018 Strickland also is accused of showing disrespect by refusing to properly address an unnamed sergeant major, the most senior enlisted rank in the Corps. — Carl Prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Marine faces gun, theft, tattoo charges, plus disrespect of a sergeant major," 10 Mar. 2018 His most recent rank was sergeant major, and he’d been awarded the Bronze Star for killing 10 enemy combatants during an ambush in Ramadi in 2004. — Aimee Green, OregonLive.com, "Marine who hit Iraqi restaurant employee with chair avoids prison," 2 Mar. 2018 Mostly the elephants are striding out like a sergeant major in a parade. — Maya Wei-haas, Smithsonian, "Rare Mammoth Tracks Reveal an Intimate Portrait of Herd Life," 26 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sergeant major.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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