petty officer

American  

noun

• petty officers
  plural

1. a noncommissioned U.S. Navy rank with three grades.

2. one of the minor officers on a merchant ship, as a boatswain or carpenter.

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petty officer British  

noun

1. a noncommissioned officer in a naval service, comparable in rank to a sergeant in an army or marine corps

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• petty officers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of petty officer

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petty officer

Mr Zhao was a petty officer working at a California naval base.

From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2024

They deliver the text with immaculate polish; even Gabe Kessler, as a petty officer who nervously takes the stand, seems to have nailed every stutter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2023

Gregory Allen Howard was born Jan. 28, 1952, in Norfolk, but moved frequently because of his stepfather’s assignments as a Navy chief petty officer.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 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