lieutenant

American  

[loo-ten-uhnt, lef-ten-uhnt] / luˈtɛn ənt, lɛfˈtɛn ənt /

noun

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

• lieutenancy noun
• underlieutenant noun

Etymology

Origin of lieutenant

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English from Middle French, noun use of adjective phrase lieu tenant “place-holding”; locum tenens, lieu, tenant

Example Sentences

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

Connor Roberts had been a significant lieutenant for Bellamy having previously worked with him at Burnley but has been out for a year.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

In one of them, a spot attacking Harman, Checchi included a photo of the lieutenant governor — and not a bad-looking one at that.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

“You were brothers-in-arms yesterday, and you’re enemies today,” shrugs one Republican Guard lieutenant who was in the battle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The lieutenant says, “I need to know everything. Was there a trick? A game?”

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor