lieutenant

noun lieu·ten·ant \ lü-ˈte-nənt , British le(f)- \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Examples: lieutenant in a Sentence

Definition of lieutenant

1 a : an official empowered to act for a higher official

The king's lieutenant handled the problem.

b : an aide or representative of another in the performance of duty : assistant

Her best lieutenant was working on the proposal.

2 a (1) : first lieutenant

(2) : second lieutenant

b : a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard ranking above a lieutenant junior grade and below a lieutenant commander

c : a fire or police department officer ranking below a captain

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Examples of lieutenant in a Sentence

He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
She has her best lieutenants working on a proposal.
one of the mobster's most loyal lieutenants

Recent Examples of lieutenant from the Web

In 2006, he was hired by Citrus Heights as a lieutenant, and was promoted to commander four years ago.

— kellen browning, sacbee, "Longtime Citrus Heights police commander retires," 6 July 2018
However, the Crowley loss produced a countervailing defense from Pelosi's top lieutenants, who now see a slew of Democratic understudies who have little experience on Capitol Hill.

— paul kane and erica werner, chicagotribune.com, "Crowley's loss divides stunned Democrats about the future of party leadership," 28 June 2018
Plus Mike Reed, who oversees GateHouse, used to run CNHI; Reed’s top lieutenant, Kirk Davis, is a longtime Massachusetts newspaper executive.

— jon chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Newspapers north of Boston may be in two chains’ sights," 26 June 2018
Queiroz spent six decorated years as the top lieutenant to the legendary Scottish manager, Alex Ferguson, interrupted only by a single, unhappy season in charge of Real Madrid.

— joshua robinson, WSJ, "Iran’s World Cup Obstacles: Spain, Portugal and the White House," 19 June 2018
One of Kim’s top lieutenants, former intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol, is visiting New York to discuss with U.S. officials the agenda for the summit planned in Singapore on or around June 12.

— NBC News, "Russia's Lavrov meets Kim Jong Un, invites him to Moscow," 31 May 2018
Serving as a local lieutenant to a national figure is not easy.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Is San Diego's Rev. Shane Harris ready for his national close-up?," 1 Apr. 2018
By email, Navy spokeswoman Katie Suich gave us a document confirming that George Prescott Bush was commissioned as a Navy Reserve officer May 21, 2007, and left the Reserve as a lieutenant May 9, 2017.

— w. gardner selby, San Antonio Express-News, "George P. Bush falsely describes himself as ‘retired’ Navy officer," 3 Mar. 2018
Chun first gained prominence in South Korea in 1983 as a young lieutenant when he was credited with saving the life of a senior South Korean general during a terrorist bombing in Burma.

— kim hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "Former general says he knows how powerful North Korea's military is," 11 Jan. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of lieutenant

Middle English, from Anglo-French lieu tenant, from liu + tenant holding, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre — more at thin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

lieutenant Synonyms

Synonyms

adjunct, adjutant, aid, aide, apprentice, assistant, coadjutor, deputy, helper, helpmate, helpmeet, sidekick;

Related Words

attendant, servant;

auxiliary, legman, subordinate, underling;

employee (also employe), hand, help, hireling, laborer, worker;

man Friday, right hand;

aide-de-camp;

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

LIEUTENANT Defined for English Language Learners

lieutenant

noun

Definition of lieutenant for English Language Learners

: an officer in the army, navy, or air force with a fairly low rank
: an officer in a fire or police department who has a rank below a captain
: an assistant to another, more powerful person : a person who represents and works for someone else