lieutenant colonel

American  

noun

U.S. Military.

1. a commissioned officer ranking next below a colonel and next above a major.

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lieutenant colonel British  

noun

1. an officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a colonel in certain armies, air forces, and marine corps

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Etymology

Origin of lieutenant colonel

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lieutenant colonel

Fuller, a lieutenant colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard, will serve out the rest of Greene's term, which ends next January.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

David, whose name I’ve changed because he is still serving, is a lieutenant colonel and physician in the Army Reserve.

From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026

Known as the Crab, because he was born with an extra finger, the hulking Rodriguez Castro is a lieutenant colonel in the island’s interior ministry in charge of his grandfather’s security detail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

"Defence-related technologies have replaced cybersecurity as the most in-demand high-tech sector," the reserve lieutenant colonel explained.

From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026

One is Kim Yong, the former lieutenant colonel who had highly placed friends across North Korea.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden