warrant officer

American  

noun

1. (in the U.S. Armed Forces) an officer of one of four grades ranking above enlisted personnel and below commissioned officers.

2. a similar officer in other countries.

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warrant officer British  

noun

1. an officer in certain armed services who holds a rank between those of commissioned and noncommissioned officers. In the British army, the rank has two classes See regimental sergeant major company sergeant major

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Etymology

Origin of warrant officer

First recorded in 1685–95

Compare meaning

How does warrant-officer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• warrant officer vs. commissioned officer

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

warrant officer

Rather than being reported to the police the incident was recorded as "inappropriate behaviour unbecoming of a warrant officer".

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025

A 13th was made a chief warrant officer, resulting in the group’s nickname: “The Golden 13.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2023

In 2019, I retired as a chief warrant officer in the Army Signal Corps.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2023

Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos was promoted to sergeant; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza was promoted to chief warrant officer 3 and Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy was promoted to chief warrant officer 2.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 4, 2023

I was putting away my papers when another warrant officer came over and, pointing to my written statement, said, “Hand me that file.”

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• shooter