chief petty officer

American

noun

U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.

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

chief petty officer British

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of chief petty officer

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

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:

chief petty officer

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

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 17, 2024

The accused is a chief petty officer fire controlman assigned to a Japan-based guided missile destroyer, the USS Higgins.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2024

To discuss that larger conflict and much more, I recently spoke with Malcolm Nance, a former senior chief petty officer in the U.S.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2022

Her mother was a seamstress, and her father was a Navy chief petty officer.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 11, 2021

Pete, now a navy chief petty officer stationed in San Diego, came home to see Louie off.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

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