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cadet

1 American  
[kuh-det] / kəˈdɛt /

noun

  1. a student in a national service academy or private military school or on a training ship.

  2. a student in training for service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Coast Guard.

  3. a trainee in a business or profession.

  4. a younger son or brother.

  5. the youngest son.

  6. (formerly) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a subsequent commission.

  7. Also called cadet blue.  a grayish to strong blue color.

  8. Also called cadet gray.  a bluish-gray to purplish-blue color.

  9. Slang. a pimp.

Cadet 2 American  
[kuh-det] / kəˈdɛt /

noun

Russian History.

  1. a member of the former Constitutional Democratic Party.

cadet British  
/ kəˈdɛt /

noun

  1. a young person undergoing preliminary training, usually before full entry to the uniformed services, police, etc, esp for officer status

  2. a school pupil receiving elementary military training in a school corps

  3. (in England and in France before 1789) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a commission

  4. a younger son or brother

  5. the family or family branch of a younger son

  6. (in New Zealand) a person learning sheep farming on a sheep station

"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

Other Word Forms

  • cadetship noun

Etymology

Origin of cadet1

1600–10; < French < Gascon capdet chief, captain (referring to the younger sons of noble families); compare Old Provençal capdel headman < Latin capitellum literally, small head; capital 2

Origin of Cadet2

< Russian kadét, equivalent to ka + de (the letter names of k, d, representing konstitutsiónnyĭ demokrát Constitutional Democrat) + -t from kadét (now obsolete) cadet

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.

In 1981, he made his Broadway debut in the play "Heartland" and his movie debut that same year as a military cadet in "Taps."

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

To land the role of a rebellious cadet in “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy,” 26-year-old Sandro Rosta had to do a chemistry read over Zoom with Holly Hunter.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

DS Hunt's son, Adrian Hunt - who was an 18-year-old police cadet at the time of his father's murder - called the matter "bureaucracy gone mad".

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

For some, intensive preparation for military service begins in preschool, where cadet classes include physical drills carried out in army-style uniforms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

On the floor there was a jumble of satin shoes, debutante’s handbags, belts studded with fake stones, suspenders, and even the shining sword of a military cadet.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.