lieutenant colonel

American  

noun

U.S. Military.

1. a commissioned officer ranking next below a colonel and next above a major.

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lieutenant colonel British  

noun

1. an officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a colonel in certain armies, air forces, and marine corps

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Etymology

Origin of lieutenant colonel

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

He served in the Afghan Special Forces for almost twenty years, reaching the rank of Lieutenant colonel shortly before the Taliban gained control of Kabul.

From BBC • Sep. 8, 2021

Lieutenant colonel and "ace" of the air force, he had served in Ethiopia, Spain, Albania, Greece.

From Time Magazine Archive

Lieutenant colonel, 1810; colonel, 1812; brigadier general, 1814.

From Arkansas Governors and United States Senators by Ferguson, John L. (John Lewis)

General Armstrong and Lieutenant Andersen, on one side, and Lieutenant colonel Kossuth and Captain Petöfi, on the other, stood at the sides of their principals.

From Frigid Fracas by Reynolds, Mack

Formally correct, Lieutenant colonel Bela Kossuth appeared at Joe Mauser's apartment three days before the duel, a case in his hands.

From Frigid Fracas by Reynolds, Mack