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lieutenant commander

American

noun

U.S. Navy.

a commissioned officer ranking next below a commander and next above a lieutenant.

lieutenant commander British

noun

an officer holding commissioned rank in certain navies immediately junior to a commander

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lieutenant commander

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He served with 845 Naval Air Squadron flying the Sea King Mk4, which included flying in Norway, Jordan, Afghanistan and "embarked operations" on maritime vessels, and was selected for promotion to lieutenant commander in 2020.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Mark West, a retired lieutenant commander who ran beach planning for the special-operations force from 2009 to 2011, said the base dealt with sewage even then.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Before departing, Biden visited the John Sidney McCain III Memorial near the site where, as a 31-year-old Navy lieutenant commander, McCain’s Skyhawk dive bomber was shot down by the North Vietnamese.

From Washington Times • Sep. 11, 2023

“I was sincerely trying to help people in trouble,” Reed, a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II, said as he was booked.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2023

“He’s a lieutenant commander in the Navy,” Ginnie said.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023