midshipman

American  

[mid-ship-muhn, mid-ship-] / ˈmɪdˌʃɪp mən, mɪdˈʃɪp- /

noun

plural

midshipmen

1. a student, as at the U.S. Naval Academy, in training for commission as ensign in the Navy or second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

2. British Navy.

   1. an officer of the rank held by young men immediately upon graduating from the government naval schools.

   2. (initial capital letter) the title and rank of such a graduate.

   3. (formerly) one of a class of boys or young men who formed the group from which officers were chosen.

3. Also called singingfish.  any toadfish of the genus Porichthys, having many small luminous organs on the underside and producing a buzzing sound with its air bladder.

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midshipman British  

/ ˈmɪdˌʃɪpmən /

noun

1. a probationary rank held by young naval officers under training, or an officer holding such a rank

2. any of several American toadfishes of the genus Porichthys, having small light-producing organs on the undersurface of their bodies

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Etymology

Origin of midshipman

First recorded in 1620–30; midship + -man

Example Sentences

She says it was because she refused to name a fellow midshipman who did cheat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025

It’s not just that midshipman fish are easier to capture than actual sailors.

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2024

For talkative midshipman fish -- sometimes called the "California singing fish" -- the midbrain plays a robust role in initiating and patterning of sounds used in vocal communication.

From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2024

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A midshipman from Texas died after falling over a waterfall in Chile, the U.S.

From Washington Times • Jul. 18, 2022

His elder half-brother, Lawrence, who had been a British officer, saw to it that George was accepted as a midshipman in the Royal Navy.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

Related Words

• student
• youth