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Military & Defence vocabulary · Ranks & Personnel

Colonel

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/ˈkɜːnl/nounCore term

In military & defence, colonel means: A senior officer rank above lieutenant colonel; a colonel may command a regiment or brigade, or hold an important headquarters post.

In Turkish: albay

How it is used

One of the most surprising pronunciations in English: it sounds exactly like 'kernel', /ˈkɜːnl/. The rank below is lieutenant colonel (yarbay), written Lt Col. Navies call the same level 'captain'.

Example sentences

  1. The colonel opened the planning conference with a short welcome speech.

  2. Please send the final budget to the colonel's office by Friday.

Common collocations

  • lieutenant colonel
  • full colonel
  • promoted to colonel
  • the colonel's office
  • captainAn army or air force officer rank above lieutenant; in the navy, a much more senior rank held by officers who command large ships.
  • generalAn officer of one of the highest ranks in an army or air force, who commands large formations or works at the top of the defence organisation.
  • brigadeA formation of several battalions and support units, usually a few thousand soldiers, commanded by a brigadier, brigadier general or colonel.
  • regimentA military unit with a long history and its own traditions; in some armies a fighting unit, in others mainly a family of battalions.

More terms: Ranks & Personnel

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