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

The prosecutor sometimes courted publicity and controversy, showing up outside James’s Brooklyn home in a trench coat resembling that of TV police lieutenant Columbo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Morale aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier already is difficult to maintain without a record-breaking stint, said Julie Roland, a retired veteran Navy lieutenant commander who worked briefly on the USS Lincoln.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

An extradition agreement is in place between the UAE and Ireland and it was previously used to extradite Sean McGovern, a "senior lieutenant" in the organised crime group.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Interim charges are lists of issues that the lieutenant governor and speaker give to their respective chamber’s committees to study during the period between legislative sessions.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026

Kelley couldn’t believe what the lieutenant was saying.

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

He was reluctant to report the wrongdoing, he said, because one of the lieutenants had boasted that he knew a lot of people in Internal Affairs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

Barra, who meets directly with Trump and his top lieutenants, has been quick to get on board with his initiatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

He often delegates difficult conversations to trusted lieutenants.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

The authorities escalated further, arresting Audias Flores, El Mencho's presumed successor, as well as his top accountant and other lieutenants.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

Oriana has a protective arm around Oak, one of Madoc’s lieutenants bending to speak with her.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black