colonel

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemilitary

   A high-ranking army or air force officer, above a major and below a general, often in charge of a large unit.

   Grammar: Used as a title with a name: Colonel Reyes. The word is pronounced like kernel.

   Patterns

   • Colonel Name
   • a colonel in the army

   The colonel inspected the troops before the parade.

   Colonel Reyes gave a short speech to the new recruits.

   Her grandfather retired as a colonel after thirty years of service.

2. 2nouncountableAmericaninformal

   An honorary title given in some places, such as parts of the American South, to a respected person who may have no military role.

   Grammar: Appears with a capital letter before a name.

   Patterns

   • Colonel Name

   The governor named the local businessman an honorary colonel.

   Everyone in town called him Colonel, though he had never been a soldier.

   A famous fried chicken brand uses the image of an honorary colonel.

Word forms

Common combinations

retired colonel

A retired colonel gave the history talk.

lieutenant colonel

The lieutenant colonel led the training exercise.

colonel in the army

He became a colonel in the army at forty.

promoted to colonel

She was promoted to colonel last spring.

colonel's orders

The soldiers followed the colonel's orders without question.

Synonyms and how they differ

officer

Officer is a general term for any commander, while colonel names one specific senior rank.

commander

Commander describes a role of leading a unit, but a colonel is a rank that may or may not hold that role.

Opposites

Word family

colonelcy noun

the rank or position of a colonel

lieutenant colonel noun

an officer ranked just below a colonel

Commonly confused: colonel or kernel?

Practice

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