lieutenant.
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
Meaning & usage
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. In the US Army, Air Force and Marines, holding the rank above second lieutenant and below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "lieutenant" or as the complete forms of the ranks.
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. A naval officer whose rank is above that of ensign in the United States Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant.
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. A commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration whose rank is above that of ensign and below lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant.
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. A commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, holding the rank above second lieutenant and below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "lieutenant"; however, "second lieutenant" is to specify that the officer is not yet a full lieutenant.
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. A naval officer whose rank is above that of sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander.
The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. A naval commissioned officer who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.
A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person; a manager to their director.
The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens and stadtholder.
A military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, lieutenant commander.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens and stadtholder.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.