- (a.) The roll of the drum which calls the troops together; as, to beat the general.
- (a.) Common to many or the greatest number; widely spread; prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general opinion; a general custom.
- (a.) The chief of an order of monks or of all the houses or congregations under the same rule.
- (a.) The whole; the total; that which comprehends or relates to all or the chief part; -- opposed to particular.
- (a.) Usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or method.
- (a.) Not restrained or limited to a precise import; not specific; vague; indefinite; lax in signification; as, a loose and general expression.
- (a.) The public; the people; the vulgar.
- (a.) Having a relation to all; common to the whole; as, Adam, our general sire.
- (a.) As a whole; in gross; for the most part.
- (a.) Comprehending many species or individuals; not special or particular; including all particulars; as, a general inference or conclusion.
- (a.) One of the chief military officers of a government or country; the commander of an army, of a body of men not less than a brigade. In European armies, the highest military rank next below field marshal.
- (a.) Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable economy.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). general. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/general/definitions/2011764 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "general" http://smartdefine.org/general/definitions/2011764 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, general, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/general/definitions/2011764>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "general" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/general/definitions/2011764> |