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.
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
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
< Russian kadét, equivalent to ka + de (the letter names of k, d, representing konstitutsiónnyĭ demokrát Constitutional Democrat) + -t from kadét (now obsolete) cadet
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.
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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
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
In March, a 15-year-old girl, Phoebe Beltran, told The Times she was attacked by a sea lion while completing her swim test for the cadet Junior Lifeguards program in Long Beach.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025
“No point. Just thought that you should know that I’m about to be the youngest cadet to level up. Your mom currently holds that record, right?”
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
