enlisted man

American  

noun

1. any member of the U.S. armed services who is not a commissioned officer or a warrant officer, especially one ranking below a noncommissioned officer or a petty officer.

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enlisted man British  

noun

1. a serviceman who holds neither a commission nor a warrant and is not under training for officer rank as a cadet or midshipman

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Etymology

Origin of enlisted man

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

After college, Mueller enlisted in the US Marines, and after one year as an enlisted man, entered officer candidate school.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

In the story, an envious officer sets a trap for a popular enlisted man, triggering tragedy.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2022

Officially, the military had me down as an enlisted man who’d signed up for a hitch in the Navy and had gotten himself attached to MCB 71, a Mobile Construction Battalion, the Seabees.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 25, 2022

To remind today’s SEALs about the essence of their mission, Howard gives them a copy of the Constitution and a letter he wrote with Force Master Chief Bill King, his top enlisted man.

From Washington Post • Dec. 23, 2021

General Dreedle had thrown open Colonel Cathcart’s private skeet-shooting range to every officer and enlisted man in the group on combat duty.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller