lieutenant colonel

American

noun

U.S. Military.

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

lieutenant colonel British

noun

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

"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 colonel

First recorded in 1590–1600

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