lieutenant

[loo-ten-uhnt, lef-ten-uhnt]

noun

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.

lieutenant

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• underlieutenant noun
• lieutenancy noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lieutenant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of lieutenant¹

C14: from Old French, literally: place-holding

Example Sentences

"I know it's tempting to write the bubble story," Mr Altman told me as he sat flanked by his top lieutenants.

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Le Pen has been barred from running after being convicted in a corruption case, but her 30-year-old lieutenant Jordan Bardella could be a candidate instead.

Read more on Barron's

In response to the rhetoric from Washington and the deployment of American warships, Maduro and his top lieutenants have assured their followers that Venezuela’s military is in a state of readiness.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Clasby is still employed with the department as a lieutenant—the first woman to hold the title in the department’s history.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Marine Le Pen and her young lieutenant in the far-right National Rally, Jordan Bardella, are ready for elections and have refused Lecornu's invitation to talk.

Read more on BBC