Definitions for Colonel
ˈkɜr nlcolonel

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.5 / 2 votes

1. colonelnoun

   a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. colonelnoun

   A commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps. In U.S. military, it ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general.

2. Etymology: First attested 1548, from coronel, from colonnello, from compagna colonnella, from columna

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. COLONELnoun

   The chief commander of a regiment; a field officer of the highest rank, next to the general officers. It is now generally sounded with only two distinct syllables, col’nel.

   Etymology: Of uncertain etymology. Stephen Skinner imagines it originally colonialis, the leader of a colony. John Minsheu deduces it from colonna, a pillar; as patriæ columen; exercituscolumen. Each is plausible.

   The chiefest help must be the care of the colonel, that hath the government of all his garrison. Edmund Spenser, on Ireland.

   Captain or colonel, or knight in arms,
   Whose chance on these defenceless doors may seize,
   If deed of honour did thee ever please,
   Guard them, and him within protect from harms. John Milton.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Colonel

   Colonel (; abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. Historically, in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army. Modern usage varies greatly, and in some cases, the term is used as an honorific title that may have no direct relationship to military service. The rank of colonel is typically above the rank of lieutenant colonel. The rank above colonel is typically called brigadier, brigade general or brigadier general. In some smaller military forces, such as those of Monaco or the Vatican, colonel is the highest rank. Equivalent naval ranks may be called captain or ship-of-the-line captain. In the Commonwealth's air force ranking system, the equivalent rank is group captain.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. colonel

   A colonel is a high-ranking military officer, typically below the general rank, in the army, air force, and marine corps. The function, authority, and responsibilities vary significantly depending on the country, branch of military, and specific context. They're often responsible for a specific unit of troops, developing strategic plans, or overseeing operations.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Colonelnoun

   the chief officer of a regiment; an officer ranking next above a lieutenant colonel and next below a brigadier general

2. Etymology: [F. colonel, It. colonello, prop., the chief or commander of a column, fr. colonna column, L. columna. See Column.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Colonel

   Colonel, abbreviated Col, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally captain. In air forces with a separate rank structure, the equivalent rank is generally group captain. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures. A colonel was typically in charge of a regiment in an army, especially in Great Britain; but typically as of 2012 a colonel is the commander of a brigade or regiment in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps, and of a wing in the US Air Force. 'Colonel' is usually the highest or second-highest field rank, and is below the general ranks.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Colonel

   kur′nėl, n. an officer who has command of a regiment;—ns. Col′onelcy, his office or rank; Col′onelling, playing the colonel; Col′onelship, colonelcy: quality of a colonel. [Fr. and Sp. coronel; a corr. of It. colonello, the leader of a colonna, or column—L. columna.]

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon WurdzRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. COLONEL

   A male resident of Kentucky. See KERNEL.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. colonel

   The commander of a regiment, either of horse or foot.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. colonel

   The title of the highest officer of a regiment, ranking next below a brigadier-general, and above a lieutenant-colonel. The rank of captain in the navy corresponds with this title.

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Colonel

   A Far-West title of courtesy bestowed upon anyone who owns a stud horse.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. COLONEL

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Colonel is ranked #103181 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Colonel surname appeared 174 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Colonel.
   
   55.1% or 96 total occurrences were White.
   36.7% or 64 total occurrences were Black.
   2.8% or 5 total occurrences were of two or more races.

Matched Categories

1. • Commissioned Military Officer
   • Military

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Colonel' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4565

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Colonel' in Nouns Frequency: #1839

How to pronounce Colonel?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Colonel in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Colonel in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Colonel in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of Colonel in a Sentence

1. Defense Secretary Mark Esper:

   Obviously it's... a highly charged environment so I'm going to not weigh in on that other than to say that Colonel Colonel Alexander Vindman is still an active duty member of the military and continuing to perform his job on a daily basis.

2. Defense Secretary Mark Esper:

   I'm not going to wade into the hearings and things that are taking place on Capitol Hill right now, obviously it's... a highly charged environment so I'm going to not weigh in on that other than to say that Colonel Colonel Alexander Vindman is still an active duty member of the military and continuing to perform his job on a daily basis.

3. George Bernard Shaw:

   The notion that the colonel need be a better man than the private is as confused as the notion that the keystone need be stronger than the coping stone.

4. So I Married an Axe Murderer:

   Charlie Dad, how can you hate The Colonel Stuart Because he puts an addictive chemical in his chicken that makes ya crave it fortnightly, smartass

5. Witness Katie Domingue:

   He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either, prayers for Lafayette at Grand Theater. Talking to state police colonel about shooting in Lafayette.

Popularity rank by frequency of use