Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

noncommissioned officer

American  

noun

Military.
  1. an enlisted person, as a sergeant or corporal, holding any of various ranks below commissioned or warrant officers.


noncommissioned officer British  
/ ˌnɒnkəˈmɪʃənd /

noun

  1. (in the armed forces) a person, such as a sergeant or corporal, who is appointed from the ranks as a subordinate officer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of noncommissioned officer

First recorded in 1695–1705

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.

See Examples For:

Does holding a commission necessarily mean a candidate is better suited to elective office than one who was a noncommissioned officer or a PFC or Seaman Apprentice?

From Salon Aug. 20, 2024

But after The Associated Press made requests for comment on Meyer‘s case, the office of the Army‘s top noncommissioned officer, Sgt.

From Washington Times Nov. 10, 2023

He was responsible for Army Logistics University, the Professional Military Education and the training of Army logistics junior officers, warrant officers and noncommissioned officer students.

From Washington Post Apr. 13, 2022

Starnes called for a noncommissioned officer and half-jokingly asked the soldier to clear a path for the bus.

From Seattle Times Sep. 10, 2021

He had not our dire incentive for the success of that Regiment—a noncommissioned officer in a hated regiment in a precarious fastness only a few hundred feet from a growing and volatile enemy.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training