admiral

/ˈædmərəl/

/ˈædmɪrəl/

Other forms: admirals

An admiral is the commander of a fleet. In the navy, admiral is one of the highest ranks.

The military is full of rankings, such as captain, private, major, and corporal. Another is admiral, a ranking specific to the navy. While a captain is in charge of one ship, an admiral leads more than one ship: a bunch of ships, which are called a fleet. There are also a few different types of admirals, such as full admiral and vice admiral. Similarly, Battlestar Galactica’s Commander Adama becomes Admiral Adama as a result of leading more than one ship.

Definitions of admiral

1. noun

   the supreme commander of a fleet; ranks above a vice admiral and below a fleet admiral
   synonyms: full admiral

   examples:

   Captain Bligh

   British admiral; was captain of the H.M.S. Bounty in 1789 when part of the crew mutinied and set him afloat in an open boat; a few weeks later he arrived safely in Timor 4,000 miles away (1754-1817)

   Sir Francis Drake

   English explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)

   Viscount Nelson

   English admiral who defeated the French fleets of Napoleon but was mortally wounded at Trafalgar (1758-1805)

   Isoroku Yamamoto

   Japanese admiral who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 (1884-1943)

   type of:

   flag officer

   a senior naval officer above the rank of captain
2. noun

   any of several brightly colored butterflies
   type of:

   brush-footed butterfly, four-footed butterfly, nymphalid, nymphalid butterfly

   medium to large butterflies found worldwide typically having brightly colored wings and much-reduced nonfunctional forelegs carried folded on the breast