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

Kansas established its current system following a scandal in 1956 involving self-dealing by the governor, lieutenant governor, and chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

At the same time, Marianne Lake, currently the head of the consumer bank and a longtime Dimon lieutenant, is retiring.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

"The main goal is that this World Cup is one of the most successful in history," said lieutenant colonel Manuel Cabrera, FERI's second-in-command.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

He served with 845 Naval Air Squadron flying the Sea King Mk4, which included flying in Norway, Jordan, Afghanistan and "embarked operations" on maritime vessels, and was selected for promotion to lieutenant commander in 2020.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

The lieutenant says, “You know, we did. And they said just what Mason said.”

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor

He often delegates difficult conversations to trusted lieutenants.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the operation also killed several al-Mainuki lieutenants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026

For years, he was seen as one of Banerjee's closest lieutenants.

From BBC ● May 8, 2026

Among those on trial are about 20 alleged leaders and dozens of lieutenants, many with tattooed faces, heads, hands, and necks.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

“Since when, Colonel?” one of the young lieutenants shouted over the laughter.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy