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second lieutenant
noun
: a commissioned officer of the lowest rank in the army, air force, or marine corps
Examples of second lieutenant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In January, Madison Marsh — also a second lieutenant and master’s student, but in the Air Force and studying government at Harvard University ― was crowned Miss America in Orlando.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2024
After finishing primary flight training, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024
Madison Marsh, 22, is a second lieutenant in the Air Force and a master’s student at the Harvard Kennedy School’s public policy program.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 2024
In 1954, after the founding of the state of Israel, he was drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces as a second lieutenant.
—Robert D. Hershey Jr., New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
In 2006, when Ms. Haley was a first-term state representative, Major Haley finished his college degree and soon thereafter joined the South Carolina Army National Guard as a 36-year-old second lieutenant, older than most new officers.
—Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
Promoted to second lieutenant, he was dispatched to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena to train as a meteorologist.
—Robert D. Hershey Jr., New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
His bid backfired when he was posted as a second lieutenant to a combat outpost south of Algiers, the capital.
—Bob Drogin, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in officer candidate school in August 1945, just as Japan surrendered in World War II.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second lieutenant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1702, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of second lieutenant was
in 1702
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Dictionary Entries Near second lieutenant
Cite this Entry
“Second lieutenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20lieutenant. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
second lieutenant
noun
: a military commissioned officer of the lowest rank
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