chief petty officer

noun

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

1. a noncommissioned rank above petty officer first class and below senior petty officer. CPO, C.P.O., c.p.o.

chief petty officer

noun

1. CPO. the senior naval rank for personnel without commissioned or warrant rank

Word History and Origins

Origin of chief petty officer¹

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

A senior chief petty officer named Angel Torres remembered, “All of the sudden, this big cloud engulfs us. It wasn’t white smoke. It was like something I’d never seen before.”

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Her husband, a chief petty officer, declined to be interviewed by The Associated Press because he fears retaliation from the Navy.

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A chief petty officer, Spillers, 30, worked as a career counselor.

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Gregory Allen Howard was born Jan. 28, 1952, in Norfolk, but moved frequently because of his stepfather’s assignments as a Navy chief petty officer.

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As the ship came together, the captain gathered his chief petty officers to set the tone for the crew.

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