second lieutenant

American

noun

U.S. Military.

an Army, Air Force, or Marine officer of the lowest commissioned rank.

second lieutenant British

noun

an officer holding the lowest commissioned rank in the armed forces of certain nations

"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 second lieutenant

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:

second lieutenant

Mr Smith joined the US Marine Corps as a second lieutenant after graduating from Yale University.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2025

After graduating, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, earned a commission as a second lieutenant and served in various locations in the United States and Japan.

From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

Oliver has served as the state’s second lieutenant governor since 2018.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 1, 2023

Oliver, a Democrat, has served as the state’s second lieutenant governor since 2018.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 31, 2023

Not long after his arrival, Louie was standing at the base, sweating and despairing over the landscape, when a squarish second lieutenant walked up and introduced himself.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023