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

lieut, lieut., lieut. col., lieut. comdr., lieutenancy, lieutenant, lieutenant colonel, lieutenant commander, lieutenant general, lieutenant governor, lieutenant junior grade

Origin of lieutenant

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

Related forms

un·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 Forms

lieutenancy, 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