lieutenant
Americannoun
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Military.
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U.S. Navy. a commissioned officer ranking between lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander.
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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.
noun
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a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain
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a naval officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a lieutenant commander
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an officer in a police or fire department ranking immediately junior to a captain
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a person who holds an office in subordination to or in place of a superior
Other Word Forms
- lieutenancy noun
- underlieutenant noun
Etymology
Origin of lieutenant
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English from Middle French, noun use of adjective phrase lieu tenant “place-holding”; 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.
Vocabulary lists containing lieutenant
English Words Derived from French, List 1
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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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.
Marín Chaparro, the lieutenant colonel arrested in the same wave, had also served his sentence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
David, whose name I’ve changed because he is still serving, is a lieutenant colonel and physician in the Army Reserve.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
Connor Roberts had been a significant lieutenant for Bellamy having previously worked with him at Burnley but has been out for a year.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
One of Davis’ greatest assets was his position as lieutenant governor; that currency — incumbency and government know-how — no longer trade at the same high value.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026
Kelley couldn’t believe what the lieutenant was saying.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
