lieutenant

[ loo-ten-uh nt; in British use, except in the navy, lef-ten-uh nt ]

/ luˈtɛn ənt; in British use, except in the navy, lɛfˈtɛn ənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lieutenant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Military.

U.S. Navy. a commissioned officer ranking between lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander.

a person who holds an office, civil or military, in subordination to a superior for whom he or she acts: If he can't attend, he will send his lieutenant.

Nearby words

Origin of lieutenant

1325–75; Middle English < Middle French, noun use of adj. phrase lieu tenant place-holding. See locum tenens, lieu, tenant

Related formsun·der·lieu·ten·ant, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lieutenant

He was a young Army Air Force lieutenant whose plane crashed in the Pacific in May 1943.
Dick Cheney vs. ‘Unbroken’|Mike Barnicle|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Neary had held the rank of lieutenant since 1983 and received multiple commendations during nearly four decades on the job.
The Mystery Death Of A Female Firefighter|Christopher Moraff|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, he finished second with 39 percent in the race for lieutenant governor.
How to Run a Statewide Campaign on $38|Michael Ames|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He ran on a serious one-issue platform: eliminate the office of lieutenant governor.
How to Run a Statewide Campaign on $38|Michael Ames|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

My immediate chief was a Lieutenant Colonel Verne L. Bowers, clearly picked out by Eisenhower as a highly talented staff officer.
I Saw Nuclear Armageddon Sitting on My Desk|Clive Irving|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Do not let the lieutenant take too many chances, is my suggestion.
Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders Among the Kentucky Mountaineers|Jessie Graham Flower
Claudius himself came for a brief visit to receive the congratulations of the army on the victory which his lieutenant had won.
A Student's History of England, v. 1 (of 3)|Samuel R. Gardiner.
And what may be your business with me, Mr Second Lieutenant?
The Fixed Period|Anthony Trollope
At the first fire, the lieutenant and three of his men were killed.
Daniel Boone|John S. C. Abbott
The subadar major stuck to Lieutenant Cassells, and it is to him the lieutenant owes his life.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force|Sir Winston S. Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for lieutenant

lieutenant

/ (lɛfˈtɛnənt, US luːˈtɛnənt) /

noun

a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain

a naval officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a lieutenant commander

US an officer in a police or fire department ranking immediately junior to a captain

a person who holds an office in subordination to or in place of a superior

Derived Formslieutenancy, noun

Word Origin for lieutenant

C14: from Old French, literally: place-holding

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

Word Origin and History for lieutenant

lieutenant

late 14c., "one who takes the place of another," from Old French lieu tenant "substitute, deputy," literally "placeholder," from lieu "place" (see lieu) + tenant, present participle of tenir "to hold" (see tenant). The notion is of a "substitute" for higher authority. Specific military sense of "officer next in rank to a captain" is from 1570s. Pronunciation with lef- is common in Britain, and spellings to reflect it date back to 14c., but the origin of this is a mystery (OED rejects suggestion that it comes from old confusion of -u- and -v-).