cadet
noun
a student in a national service academy or private military school or on a training ship.
cadet
1 American
[kuh-det]
/ kəˈdɛt /
noun
-
cadets
plural
-
a student in a national service academy or private military school or on a training ship.
-
a student in training for service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Coast Guard.
-
a trainee in a business or profession.
-
a younger son or brother.
-
the youngest son.
-
(formerly) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a subsequent commission.
-
Also called cadet blue. a grayish to strong blue color.
-
Also called cadet gray. a bluish-gray to purplish-blue color.
-
Slang. a pimp.
Cadet
2
American
[kuh-det]
/ kəˈdɛt /
noun
Russian History.
cadet
British
/ kəˈdɛt /
noun
-
a young person undergoing preliminary training, usually before full entry to the uniformed services, police, etc, esp for officer status
-
a school pupil receiving elementary military training in a school corps
-
(in England and in France before 1789) a gentleman, usually a younger son, who entered the army to prepare for a commission
-
a younger son or brother
-
the family or family branch of a younger son
-
(in New Zealand) a person learning sheep farming on a sheep station
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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; see 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
Explanation
A cadet is a trainee enrolled in a military academy. You might also call a cadet a plebe, but doesn't cadet sound so much better? The term cadet has many meanings: the first meaning referred to a younger male in a family. That might help you remember that a cadet is someone young: specifically, a student in a military academy. In the United States, cadets are trainees at military colleges. The cadets get a college education while also training to be officers in the armed forces. Being a cadet is a blend of traditional education and military training.
Vocabulary lists containing cadet
English Words Derived from French, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
The schools will establish self-governed student cadet corps programs similar to those of senior military colleges that offer rigorous military education and tactical training.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire in Canada for a social media post that appears to mock members of the country's cadet youth programme.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
During a recent Coast Guard graduation, Trump invited onto stage "the only cadet who earned a perfect score on every single fitness test."
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
He also invited a cadet onstage to highlight physical fitness achievements, underscoring a recurring emphasis on bodily standards as a marker of military excellence.
From Salon ● May 24, 2026
They believed that excuses were tools of the incompetent and forced every cadet to believe the same.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Cadet leaders should be accountable for the performance and welfare of the cadets assigned to them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
“I need to get faster in my drops and just build that foundation that I need to be able to get better,” Cadet said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Quarterback Nathaniel Cadet gives Barristers legitimate passing attack.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
She had just started going out with a boy in her class, joined the hockey team, was training to be in the New Zealand Cadet Force, and had started competitive swimming.
From Slate ● May 12, 2026
Probably an earnest Cadet trying to make class on time.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
The Pentagon will work with five universities to establish a new corps of cadets that is intended to become a pipeline for recruiting young people for the military.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
"I'd led 250 cadets on parades and then, for all of that to come crashing down when I didn't have a back-up plan, it was horrible."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
He even managed to get a more current jest in, teasing the group of young cadets with a “six-seven” joke about making good choices.
From Salon ● May 24, 2026
My father and mother had relocated there in a British youth program as volunteer police cadets in their early 20s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
Drenched, outraged athletes and police cadets stormed into the building hollering.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
