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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- A naval officer whose rank is above that of sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander.
- 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. 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.
- The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.
adjective leftenant · leftenaunt · lieftenant · lieftenaunt · lieutenaunt · lieuftenant
- A military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, lieutenant commander.
Lieutenant²
noun Lieutenants
- 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
Translations
Every language
noun lowest commissioned officer rank
| Español | teniente |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 중위 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 |
| हिन्दी | लेफ़्टिनेंट lefṭineṇṭ |
| Kiswahili | luteni |
| Português | tenente |
| Français | lieutenant, lieutenante |
| Deutsch | Leutnant, Leutnantin |
| Italiano | tenente |
| Ελληνικά | υπολοχαγός ypolochagós, υποπλοίαρχος ypoploíarchos, υποσμηναγός yposminagós, ανθυπολοχαγός anthypolochagós, ανθυποπλοίαρχος anthypoploíarchos, ανθυποσμηναγός anthyposminagós |
| Română | locotenent |
| Русский | лейтена́нт lejtenánt, пору́чик porúčik, по́ру́чник pórúčnik |
| Tiếng Việt | trung úy |
| العربية | مُلَازِم mulāzim |
noun person who executes the plans and directives of another
| 中文 | 二把手 èrbǎshǒu |
|---|---|
| Português | procurador |
| Français | lieutenant, lieutenante |
| Deutsch | Gehilfe, Stellvertreter |
| Ελληνικά | πρωτοπαλίκαρο protopalíkaro, υπαρχηγός yparchigós |
| Română | locțiitor |
| Русский | замести́тель zamestítelʹ, помо́щник pomóščnik |
| עברית | סגן s-gan |
noun the second-in-command of a group
| Español | lugarteniente |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 副官 fukkan |
| 中文 | 副官 fùguān |
adj military grade
| Español | teniente |
|---|---|
| Français | lieutenant |
| Deutsch | Leutnant |
Talk about this word "lieutenant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/lieutenant. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. lieutenant. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/lieutenant "lieutenant." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/lieutenant.Cite this
@misc{lieutenant_2026,
title = {lieutenant},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/lieutenant},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}