iron eagle

noun

An American military officer who has attained the rank of colonel but will not be promoted to the rank of general.

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Meanings

nouniron eagle (plural iron eagles)

plural iron eagles

  1. USidiomaticgovernmentAn American military officer who has attained the rank of colonel but will not be promoted to the rank of general.

Origin

The term refers to the rank a colonel wears, which resembles an eagle.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

iron eagle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iron%20eagle

MLA

“iron eagle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iron%20eagle. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “iron eagle,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/iron%20eagle.

Source: iron eagle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.