lieutenant
Americannoun
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Military.
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U.S. Navy. a commissioned officer ranking between lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant commander.
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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.
noun
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a military officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a captain
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a naval officer holding commissioned rank immediately junior to a lieutenant commander
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an officer in a police or fire department ranking immediately junior to a captain
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a person who holds an office in subordination to or in place of a superior
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing lieutenant
English Words Derived from French, List 1
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National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We need to deploy equipment and qualified, specialist medical staff as quickly as possible," Lieutenant General Johnny Luboya Nkashama told AFP on Friday, "to spare this province from disaster".
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
Israel's military chief Lieutenant Colonel Eyal Zamir called the killing a "significant operational achievement".
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Lieutenant Deirdre Vickers said the department does not comment on pending litigation.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
“Former Lieutenant Governor Fairfax was recently served some paperwork associated with an upcoming court proceeding that apparently led to this incident last night,” Davis told reporters.
From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026
Lieutenant Uhura, portrayed by the actress Nichelle Nichols, executed her duties with aplomb, managing the ship’s communications with other ships and planets.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
