lieutenant

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lieutenant¹

  • /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/ Australia, New Zealand, UK
  • /ləfˈtɛn.ənt/ Australia, New Zealand, UK
  • /l(j)uˈtɛn.ənt/ US
  • /l(j)uˈtɛn.ənt/ Canada
  • /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/ Canada
  • /ˈlef.ʈe.nenʈ/ India
  • /ˈlef.ʈɪ.nenʈ/ India
  • /ˈljuː.ʈe.nenʈ/ India
  • /ˈljuː.ʈɪ.nenʈ/ India

Rhymes with -ɛnənt

Where it 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.

noun lieutenants · leftenant · leftenaunt · lieftenant · lieftenaunt · lieutenaunt

  1. US 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.
  2. US 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.
  3. US 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.
  4. UK 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.
  5. UK A naval officer whose rank is above that of sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander.
  6. Australia, Canada, New Zealand A naval commissioned officer who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.
  7. A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person; a manager to their director. Mr. Scott immediately asked someone at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., to get Mr. Nadella, the chief executive, out of a meeting he was having with top lieutenants.
  8. The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.

Similar: Lt., LT, lieut, Lieut., Lieut

adjective leftenant · leftenaunt · lieftenant · lieftenaunt · lieutenaunt · lieuftenant

  1. not comparable A military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, lieutenant commander.

Lieutenant²

noun Lieutenants

  1. Alternative letter-case form of lieutenant (when used as a title before a name)

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: deputy, police lieutenant, sergeant, sub-lieutenant, lieutenant-colonel, corps, lieut, ensign, commander, officer, captain, detective, mate, bosun, lieutenant-governor, boss

noun

Similar: Lt., LT, lieut, Lieut., Lieut

Translations

Every language

noun lowest commissioned officer rank

Españolteniente
한국어중위 jung'wi
日本語中尉 chūi, 少尉 shōi, 海軍大尉 kaiguntaii
中文中尉 zhōngwèi, 陸軍中尉 /陆军中尉 lùjūn zhōngwèi
हिन्दीलेफ़्टिनेंट lefṭineṇṭ
Kiswahililuteni
Portuguêstenente
Françaislieutenant, lieutenante
DeutschLeutnant, Leutnantin
Italianotenente
Ελληνικάυπολοχαγός ypolochagós, υποπλοίαρχος ypoploíarchos, υποσμηναγός yposminagós, ανθυπολοχαγός anthypolochagós, ανθυποπλοίαρχος anthypoploíarchos, ανθυποσμηναγός anthyposminagós
Românălocotenent
Русскийлейтена́нт lejtenánt, пору́чик porúčik, по́ру́чник pórúčnik
Tiếng Việttrung úy
العربيةمُلَازِم mulāzim

noun person who executes the plans and directives of another

中文二把手 èrbǎshǒu
Portuguêsprocurador
Françaislieutenant, lieutenante
DeutschGehilfe, Stellvertreter
Ελληνικάπρωτοπαλίκαρο protopalíkaro, υπαρχηγός yparchigós
Românălocțiitor
Русскийзамести́тель zamestítelʹ, помо́щник pomóščnik
עבריתסגן s-gan

noun the second-in-command of a group

Españollugarteniente
日本語副官 fukkan
中文副官 fùguān

adj military grade

Españolteniente
Françaislieutenant
DeutschLeutnant

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"lieutenant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lieutenant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

lieutenant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lieutenant

Chicago

"lieutenant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lieutenant.

BibTeX
@misc{lieutenant_2026,
  title = {lieutenant},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lieutenant},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}