lieutenant

[ loo-ten-uhnt; in British use, except in the navy, lef-ten-uhnt ]

noun

1. Military.
   1. first lieutenant.
   2. second lieutenant.
2. U.S. Navy. a commissioned officer ranking between lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander.
3. a person who holds an office, civil or military, in subordination to a superior they act for:

   If he can't attend, he will send his lieutenant.

lieutenant

/ luːˈtɛnənt; lɛfˈtɛnənt /

noun

1. a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain
2. a naval officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a lieutenant commander
3. an officer in a police or fire department ranking immediately junior to a captain
4. a person who holds an office in subordination to or in place of a superior

Derived Forms

• lieuˈtenancy, noun

Other Words From

• un·der·lieu·ten·ant noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lieutenant¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English from Middle French, noun use of adjective phrase lieu tenant “place-holding”; locum tenens, lieu, tenant

Word History and Origins

Origin of lieutenant¹

C14: from Old French, literally: place-holding

Example Sentences

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, has long been critical of foreign policy establishment.

From Salon

It wasn’t just his military experience — he retired as a lieutenant general — that got him hired.

From Los Angeles Times

In one instance, Grasso alleged the lieutenant referred to her as an “enemy of the platoon,” a label he also applied to Colomey and others.

From Los Angeles Times

A captain, dressed in black, is telling his lieutenant to start the company marching.

From BBC

Kapler is now an assistant general manager in Miami, which made sweeping front office, coaching staff and roster changes this year under new general manager Peter Bendix, who is a former front office lieutenant of Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in Tampa Bay.

From Los Angeles Times