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.
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
Ross, an army cadet, had been questioned by detectives at the time but prosecutors ruled there was not enough evidence to charge him.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 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
Plebe system is a process all new arrivals must go through in order to earn the title of new cadet.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
In fact, much of the story of L.A.s military academies might sound like a real estate “Where’s Cadet Waldo,” tracking the institutions from one place to another.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 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
The UK's Cadet Forces - voluntary youth organisations - will expand by 30% by 2030, with a "gap year" offered to people interested in sampling military life.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2025
She signed with Cadet Records, which in 1967 released her recording of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” a vocal version of the Joe Zawinul tune that had been a hit for Cannonball Adderley.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2024
“Something wrong, Cadet Fitz?” he asked, his voice lashing out like lightning.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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
“This means that cadets are not taught what it means to be objectively reasonable, the very standard which the law requires them to meet when deciding whether or not to use deadly force.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
In exchange, these cadets, after earning their master’s or doctoral degrees, would come back to teach in the Sosh department for at least three years.
From Slate ● Feb. 9, 2026
Similarly, Hunter herself didn’t want to position herself as a mentor on set to Rosta and his colleagues who play the other cadets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
The other cadets stood by their respective simulation tables, pale and nervous, and I realized that, for the first time, I wasn’t nervous for this simulation at all.
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.
