petty officer
Americannoun
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petty officers
plural
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a noncommissioned U.S. Navy rank with three grades.
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one of the minor officers on a merchant ship, as a boatswain or carpenter.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of petty officer
First recorded in 1570–80
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.
A chief petty officer, Spillers, 30, worked as a career counselor.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 17, 2024
Mr Zhao was a petty officer working at a California naval base.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2024
The petty officer was stationed at Port Hueneme’s naval base when he started to pass sensitive material to a Chinese official between August 2021 and May 2023, according to Justice Department officials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2023
In 1978, he dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Navy, where he rose to the rank of petty officer second class.
From Salon ● Nov. 15, 2022
Pete, now a navy chief petty officer stationed in San Diego, came home to see Louie off.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
