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

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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

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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

“It’s about reversing the current logic,” said Éric Coquerel, a France Unbowed lawmaker and a lieutenant of Mélenchon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

He began his work at the modest rank of first lieutenant, though he would be made a captain in 1941.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Employees in the legislative office building and in a nearby building temporarily used to house members of the Legislature, the governor and lieutenant governor were not affected, according to the email.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The job is largely a ceremonial post, but if the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, then the lieutenant governor would be elevated to take over.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

He was in his covered litter box, using his communicator to tell his most trusted lieutenant I was joining him.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

Ellison, currently head of Paramount, will lead the new company alongside outgoing Mattel Chief Executive Ynon Kreiz and retain key lieutenants such as CBS News executive Bari Weiss.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

He was reluctant to report the wrongdoing, he said, because one of the lieutenants had boasted that he knew a lot of people in Internal Affairs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

He often delegates difficult conversations to trusted lieutenants.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

At the Battle of White Oak Swamp, his lieutenants found it all but impossible to rouse him and lifted him, insensible, on to his horse, where he continued to slumber while shells exploded around him.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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