lieutenant commander

noun

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

Examples of lieutenant commander in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Among the nine Republican candidates invited to debate, only DeSantis has military service, having risen to lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. Politifact Staff Writer, Dallas News, 23 Aug. 2023 Suddenly, the lieutenant commander was thrust into making frantic preparations, his retirement plans scuppered. Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023 Their instructors, a retired lieutenant commander and senior chief, respectively, are caring, strict and devoted to their development as young leaders. WSJ, 9 June 2023 Dietrich, who retired in 2021 as a lieutenant commander, earned a Bronze Star and an Air Medal in combat and had 1,250 hours of flight time. Popular Mechanics, 25 Apr. 2023 Representative Michelle Steel, who like Ms. Kim is a Korean American Republican who flipped a seat in 2020, is running in a new, heavily Asian American district in what is expected to be a close race against Jay Chen, a small-business owner and lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. New York Times, 6 June 2022 Cranston was promoted to lieutenant commander in September 2016, while Navy records show his awards and decorations include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Michael Lee, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2021 What about Steel’s challenger, Jay Chen, the Taiwanese American Democrat and active lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve? Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2022 Aruffo, who retired from the Navy in 2007 as a lieutenant commander, was also among the first Navy officers charged in the case, and was the fourth to plead guilty, in July 2014. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lieutenant commander.' 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

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lieutenant commander was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near lieutenant commander

Cite this Entry

“Lieutenant commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieutenant%20commander. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lieutenant commander

noun
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of commander

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