lance sergeant

American

noun

British Military.

a sergeant of the lowest rank.
(formerly) a corporal appointed to act as sergeant, without increase in pay; an acting sergeant.

lance sergeant British

noun

a corporal acting as a sergeant, usually on a temporary basis and without additional pay

"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 lance sergeant

First recorded in 1805–15; see origin at lance corporal

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:

lance sergeant

Still, that didn’t stop former lance sergeant Julian Perreira to speak out for Andrew to step down from his role as colonel "immediately."

From Fox News ● Jan. 13, 2022

Ye're fit to be lance sergeant yersilf in the ould Tinth Rigiment.

From The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of the Plains by Emerson Hough

On me honour, Ned, I've never been so low in kit as I am this season here, not since I was lance sergeant in the Tinth.

From The Girl at the Halfway House A Story of the Plains by Emerson Hough

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