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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lieutenancy
  noun
• underlieutenant
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lieutenants
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lieutenant lieutenants

He graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops in 2004 and began serving as a lieutenant.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

He began as a lieutenant and rose through the ranks, shooting to nationwide fame during the war with Russia-backed separatists in 2014.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

I first came across him in his role as a congressman and loyal lieutenant on McCain’s famous Straight Talk Express in the campaign for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Kansas established its current system following a scandal in 1956 involving self-dealing by the governor, lieutenant governor, and chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2026

On December 23, William was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel and told to prepare for the trip.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Jonathan answered our questions inside a narrow room in a breeze block house, with his lieutenants crowding in.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Barra, who meets directly with Trump and his top lieutenants, has been quick to get on board with his initiatives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

From what my lieutenants tell me, it’s being well-received, the numbers are good.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

He often delegates difficult conversations to trusted lieutenants.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Many of the younger lieutenants and several of the captains had never attended a Mess Night; they had only heard.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy