lieutenant

American  

[loo-ten-uhnt, lef-ten-uhnt] / luˈtɛn ənt, lɛfˈtɛn ənt /

noun

• lieutenants
  plural

1. Military.

   1. first lieutenant.

   2. second lieutenant.

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

3. a person who holds an office, civil or military, in subordination to a superior they act for.

   If he can't attend, he will send his lieutenant.

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lieutenant British  

/ luːˈtɛnənt, lɛfˈtɛnənt /

noun

1. a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain

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

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

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lieutenancy
  noun
• underlieutenant
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lieutenants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lieutenant

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English from Middle French, noun use of adjective phrase lieu tenant “place-holding”; see locum tenens, lieu, tenant

Explanation

A lieutenant is a commissioned officer in the armed forces or the police who can take command if her higher-ups aren't around. Lieutenant is pronounced "loo-TEN-unt." If you're confused about all those vowels, blame the French, because the word comes from the French words lieu, meaning "place," and tenant meaning "holding." A lieutenant is someone who holds the place of authority for the person who really has it. If you start a super secret club, you should choose someone to be the lieutenant who can run meetings when you're not there.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lieutenant lieutenants

In December 1944, Trautman—who had by this time been promoted to lieutenant colonel—was trapped behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The race for California’s next lieutenant governor offers voters a familiar choice between a Democrat and Republican to succeed termed-out Lt.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

“Before Inouye took an interest, Congress didn’t even know our companies existed,” a longtime Loui lieutenant wrote in a 1998 op-ed.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Rita called one of the chief investigators, Bobby Bowen, a sheriff’s lieutenant, and urged him to speak with Roebuck, who was able to talk now that a tube had been removed from his mouth.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

But the lieutenant didn’t dare try that because the nurses and medics had witnessed what had happened and they’d back Kelley.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

In 2024, the same union survey concluded that Barragan’s performance was “very good,” but said that his choices for lieutenants and sergeants “lack operational experience.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

One of O'Neill's most trusted lieutenants, he's contracted until 2030 but reports have suggested a potential return to Spain, so just how important is he to Celtic?

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

He often delegates difficult conversations to trusted lieutenants.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Gates and his lieutenants had claimed for years that his relationship with Epstein was strictly about philanthropy and that women weren’t present during his meetings with Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

One of the lieutenants, a stocky, fair-haired man who I think is called Eran, whispers something in Mazen's ear.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir