How to Use colonel in a Sentence

colonel

noun
  • He retired as a colonel in the air force.
  • Pat Boone sang, and the colonel was buried in his white suit.
    — Victor Mather, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025
  • The colonel did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack.
    — Fox News, 24 June 2019
  • In fact, her father, the colonel, brought in the first of their bichons.
    — Washington Post, 12 June 2021
  • Many have worn the white suit, but only one colonel can wear the robe.
    — Mark Price, charlotteobserver, 30 Jan. 2018
  • At the last minute, afraid the meeting was a trap, Philip went to meet the colonel instead.
    — Todd Vanderwerff, Vox, 5 Apr. 2018
  • The colonel put the word out that the only Marines who could ride were truck drivers.
    — Linda McIntosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, 20 Sep. 2017
  • She was named chief of the Army Nurse Corps in 1967 and promoted to colonel.
    — Sam Roberts, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2018
  • My father was a colonel in the US Army, and we were deployed to Seoul.
    — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, 12 July 2019
  • Thu’s father had been a colonel in the Vietnamese army.
    — Katie C Reilly, ELLE, 27 July 2023
  • The agency said a colonel who was on the scene with the soldier at the time was also charged.
    — Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2019
  • The colonel had led some of the forces that cut straight across Gaza to the Mediterranean shore in the first days of the ground invasion.
    — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2023
  • The colonel gazed out of the window for a moment when asked to comment.
    — Emmet Livingstone, The Dial, 20 Mar. 2025
  • The royal men each have their own regiment – and the Queen is the colonel-in-chief.
    — PEOPLE.com, 7 June 2019
  • At one point, Yefremov said the colonel shot the prisoner in the arm and leg, breaking the bone.
    — Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 5 Feb. 2023
  • Thacker retired from the Air Force as a full colonel in 1970.
    — Star Tribune, 26 Dec. 2020
  • Just the day before, the NSB colonel and his team had scrapped the postal delivery plan.
    — Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2022
  • The Princess of Wales, 42, is the honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, which are trooping its flag at the parade this year.
    — Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 4 June 2024
  • Graham retired from the Air Force Reserves at the rank of colonel in 2015.
    — Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner, 14 Jan. 2021
  • Those leaders can range from a staff sergeant to a colonel, Holland said.
    — Rose L. Thayer, Anchorage Daily News, 28 July 2022
  • Since then, the Air Force colonel flew to the space station on a Russian Soyuz rocket.
    — Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2020
  • The attempt failed when a troops led by a colonel named Robert E. Lee captured Brown and the others.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland, 16 Jan. 2021
  • The colonel was to pass the weapons to other agents to carry out the assault, the Ukrainian statement said.
    — Maria Varenikova, New York Times, 7 May 2024
  • Princess Kate is the honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, which is presenting its flag this year.
    — Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 15 June 2024
  • The parade will conclude with a royal salute and march past where Kate will take the salute as colonel.
    — Stephanie Petit, People.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • His father retired as a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.
    — Desiree Stennett, Orlando Sentinel, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Now Miles has returned, sort of, in the form of a Na’vi whose mind is infused with the late colonel’s memories.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2022
  • The colonel’s death had brought many members of the Sanjari family’s tribe to their home to mourn.
    — New York Times, 18 Dec. 2021
  • The official said one of the colonel's bodyguards was wounded in the attack.
    — Rahim Faiez, Star Tribune, 31 Mar. 2021
  • The princess was decked out in her royal colonel garb, riding horseback like a champ.
    — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, 8 June 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colonel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: