A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.

The term "general" is used in two ways: as the generic title for all grades of general officer; and as a specific rank. Since the late twentieth century, the rank of general is usually the highest active rank of a military not at war.

The various grades of general officer are at the top of the rank structure. Lower-ranking officers are known as field officers or field-grade officers, and below them are company-grade officers. All officers who commanded more than a single regiment came to be known as "general officers".^{[citation needed]} The word "general" is used in its ordinary sense in English (and other languages) as relating to larger, general, military units, rather than smaller units in particular.

There are two common systems of general ranks.

Variations of one form, the old European system, were once used throughout Europe. It is used in the United Kingdom (although it did not originate there), from which it eventually spread to the Commonwealth and the United States of America. The general officer ranks are named by prefixing "general", as an adjective, with field officer ranks, although in some countries the highest general officers are titled field marshal or marshal.

Newham Generals are an English East London based grime duo consisting of MCs D Double E and Footsie with live DJing provided by DJ Tubby. The group was founded in 2003, after splitting from grime collective N.A.S.T.Y Crew with former member Monkstar. The pair were signed to Dizzee Rascal's Dirtee Stank record label in 2005, after D Double E showed Dirtee Stank a CD of the groups work, and promptly released a mix CD on the label. They released their debut album Generally Speaking in April 2009 and a EP Bag of Grease the following year. Dizzee Rascal idolised D Double E as an MC in his youth.