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.

---

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

---

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

He graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops in 2004 and began serving as a lieutenant.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

He began as a lieutenant and rose through the ranks, shooting to nationwide fame during the war with Russia-backed separatists in 2014.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

In the lawsuit, Tan described a Jan. 28, 2025, phone conversation in which a lieutenant allegedly told him: “Essentially, if I help you, I’m actually helping the family sue the Department.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

According to the company, Freymond first approached Godé, Arnault’s longtime lieutenant, in 2001 with a proposal to forge an alliance with Puech.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Once more he is the smart Himmelstoss of the parade-ground, he has even outstripped the lieutenant and is far ahead.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

While Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings and Emi Buendia started against Sociedad, many of Emery's trusted lieutenants were missing.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

From what my lieutenants tell me, it’s being well-received, the numbers are good.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

He often delegates difficult conversations to trusted lieutenants.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Tinubu said in his statement that al-Minuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, was slain along with his lieutenants, "on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin", a restive region straddling Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

From Barron's ● May 16, 2026

One of the lieutenants, a stocky, fair-haired man who I think is called Eran, whispers something in Mazen's ear.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir