A national flag displayed on ships and aircraft, often with the special insignia of a branch or unit of the armed forces.
A standard or banner, as of a military unit.
Archaic A standard-bearer.
A commissioned rank in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard that is below lieutenant junior grade.
One who holds this rank.
A badge of office or power; an emblem: "I want the seals of power and place,/The ensigns of command,/Charged by the people's unbought grace,/To rule my native land” ( John Quincy Adams).