chief petty officer

noun

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of chief petty officer

: an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a petty officer first class and below a senior chief petty officer

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Recent Examples of chief petty officer from the Web

Kevin Graham was a chief petty officer, who served 22 years in active and reserve duty.

— tonya alanez, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Man found floating in ocean was known as 'Joe Navy,' relatives say," 27 Mar. 2018
In addition, the Navy is examining one charge of dereliction of duty against a chief petty officer, a senior enlisted leader on the ship.

— author: dan lamothe, Anchorage Daily News, "Navy files criminal charges in connection with deadly ship collisions, including negligent homicide," 17 Jan. 2018
His father was a Navy chief petty officer, and he was raised primarily by an aunt and uncle in Harborcreek, Pa.

— matt schudel, Washington Post, "Paul Weitz, astronaut who helped repair Skylab and commanded space shuttle, dies at 85," 24 Oct. 2017
Navy Chief Aviation Electronics Technician James Mutka from Crown Point was recently promoted to chief petty officer, which only one in five eligible sailors achieve each year.

— Post-Tribune, "Crown Point native gets 'Navy Chief' promotion," 22 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chief petty officer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.