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

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

More from Merriam-Webster on second lieutenant

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