Skip to main content
corporal

corporal

450 4.3
A low-ranking soldier who leads a small group
  • noun
  • /ˈkɔr.pər.əl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cabo
  • And you, Corporal Garrett, will be marked for insubordination.
  • lance corporal
  • specialist to corporal

And then corporal Young gets hit while he's shooting on the saw.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Were you and Corporal Schwalb close?

  • Corporal Smith has been hit!

  • I told him what the corporal had said.

  • "Sir?" his corporal asked from his desk on the other side of the room.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Commander, I want to talk to Corporal Dawson alone for a minute.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Corporal, round up some volunteers to take this animal to the stables.

  • Captain Lewis and a corporal were loudly trying to bring some order to the confusion.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Howard, a marine corporal, is waiting by the stairway as the passengers begin to get off.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • - Good work, Corporal.

  • The corporal instructed the recruits on their next mission.

Synonyms

Cpl
vscorporal
  • Jargon
5 6.1

Short form for corporal, a low-ranking soldier who leads a small group

is the full formal title rather than the abbreviation
noncom
vscorporal
  • Jargon
2 8.1

A military leader who used to be a soldier and commands a small group

is one particular low rank within that broader officer group
noncommissioned officer
vscorporal
  • Specialized
2 6.2

A military person promoted from lower ranks who leads and trains soldiers

is a single low rank inside that broader promoted enlisted category
caporal
vscorporal
  • Specialized
9.9

A low-ranking soldier who leads a small group of soldiers

is the specific low rank used in many forces rather than a local term

Compounds

11 5.7

Physical hitting of a person to make them obey rules

A low rank in the army or marines above private first class and below corporal

How Senior

general
636 4.2
major
  • Specialized
922 4.9
captain
247 2.9
lieutenant
  • Specialized
614 5.8
sergeant
422 3.9
corporal
  • Specialized
450 4.3
private
76 3.7

Surface Forms

corporal singular
corporals plural

Etymology

The word corporal as a rank can be remembered by thinking of a small 'body' of soldiers. It is tied to the same root corpus 'body', so a corporal is a low-ranking leader who looks after a small group of soldiers.