lance corporal

Save This Word!

noun

U.S. Marine Corps. an enlisted person ranking between private first class and corporal.

British Military.

a corporal of the lowest rank.
(formerly) a private acting as corporal without increased pay.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of lance corporal

1780–90; lance, shortened form of earlier lancepesade<Middle French lancepessade lowest ranking grade of noncommissioned officer <Italian lancia spezzata superior soldier, literally, broken lance¹ (from having shivered many lances, i.e., fought well in many battles)

Words nearby lance corporal

Lancashire heeler, Lancaster, Lancaster Sound, Lancastrian, lance, lance corporal, Lancefield classification, lancejack, lancelet, Lancelot, Lancelot, Sir

How to use lance corporal in a sentence

In an act of corporal punishment that we at the Daily Beast do not condone, Joseph grabbed Him by the ear and “pulled hard.”
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?|Candida Moss|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the end of his life, the memories of corporal punishment at the hands of his teachers were vivid.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crossover performer and Pervout.com owner Lance Hart avoids some of the increased risk his fellow colleagues face.
Risky Business or None of Your Business? Gay XXX Films and the Condom Question|Aurora Snow|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After Mia overdoses on heroin, Vincent brings her to the home of Lance and Jody.
The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary|Marlow Stern|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Moreover, corporal punishment has the undesirable quality that the more you use it, the less effective it becomes.
Why Adrian Peterson Changed My Mind on Spanking|Brandy Zadrozny|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Right over the stone marker, a long-shafted war-lance was carved—the blade pointing down.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The corporal, rather chalky-looking under his tan, stepped forward and laid a hand on MacRae's shoulder.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The guerrillas had hung the body of the corporal from a tree and there it dangled over the road, a gruesome object.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
After he was securely bound he was forced to stand while the two, with foul epithets, hung the body of the corporal over the road.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Where sabre, lance, and bayonet, right soon would turn and flee!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for lance corporal

lance corporal

noun

a noncommissioned officer of the lowest rank in the British Army

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