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

Army lieutenant colonel and Green Beret who served in Vietnam.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 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

Moran's president, Vyacheslav Kalashnikov, is a retired FSB lieutenant colonel, according to the Warsaw Institute, a Polish think tank.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

Nancy went to the office of a member of her staff, a lieutenant colonel named Ron Trotter, and told him to suit up and go in; she would follow.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston