private first class

American  

noun

1. a soldier ranking above a private and below a corporal or specialist fourth class in the U.S. Army, and above a private and below a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.

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Etymology

Origin of private first class

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

He never rose beyond private first class during a 1950s stint in the military, but he projected so much machismo that he seemed born to wear an officer’s uniform.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

He hated military life so much that he refused a promotion to private first class.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2025

Story was also posthumously promoted from private first class to corporal and awarded a Purple Heart.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2023

And he left the Army Reserve not as a sergeant as he claimed, but as a private first class, one of the Army’s lowest ranks.

From New York Times • Mar. 25, 2023

“You know the risks, and you are experienced”—and his eyes rested on a private first class named Nicole Berke.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston