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

Marín Chaparro, the lieutenant colonel arrested in the same wave, had also served his sentence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Fuller, a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard, will serve out the rest of Greene's term, which ends next January.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Guest: Adam Kinzinger, former Republican Congressman for Illinois’s 11th and 16th districts, Jan 6 Committee member, former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard.

From Slate • Mar. 19, 2026

Moran's president, Vyacheslav Kalashnikov, is a retired FSB lieutenant colonel, according to the Warsaw Institute, a Polish think tank.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

Nancy went to the office of a member of her staff, a lieutenant colonel named Ron Trotter, and told him to suit up and go in; she would follow.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston