second lieutenant

American  

noun

U.S. Military.

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

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second lieutenant British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of second lieutenant

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

Those same leaders have been doing a bang-up job dismantling the America I thought I was serving when I took that oath and put on second lieutenant’s bars four decades ago.

From Salon

Between shows and dances, she wrote letters to her older brother, Gene M. Hirsch, a second lieutenant in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC

He was quickly promoted to junior officer and then second lieutenant, at a time when the US army was desperate for soldiers.

From BBC

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