first lieutenant

noun

1
: a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a second lieutenant and below a captain
2
: a naval officer responsible for a ship's upkeep

Examples of first lieutenant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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After serving as first lieutenant at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Greene County, Ohio, in the 1950s, Ewart joined General Electric in Pittsfield, Mass., as an engineer. IEEE Spectrum, 17 Feb. 2023 Trump pardoned Kelsey on March 11. 09 of 24 Mark Bashaw Trump fully pardoned Mark Bashaw, a former first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, on May 28. Caroline Blair, People.com, 29 May 2025 In 1931, Custis' daughter Mary married Robert E. Lee, then a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 May 2025 In the Army from 1956 to 1959, Mr. Johnston became a first lieutenant with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Germany. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for first lieutenant

Word History

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of first lieutenant was in 1697

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Cite this Entry

“First lieutenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first%20lieutenant. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

first lieutenant

noun
: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of captain

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