petty officer

noun

: a subordinate officer in the navy or coast guard appointed from among the enlisted sailors or mariners compare noncommissioned officer

Examples of petty officer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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His father, a naval petty officer, played the clarinet, his sister played the piano, and his older brother was a violinist. CBS News, 26 May 2026 His mother, Valborg, who had emigrated from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, worked as a domestic; his father, Walter, who had emigrated from St. Croix, was a petty officer in the U.S. Navy. Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026 His father, a naval petty officer, played the clarinet, his sister played the piano, and his older brother was a violinist. ABC News, 25 May 2026 As captain of the foretop, Peglar would have been a petty officer responsible for overseeing sailors who maintained the sails and rigging of the ship’s foremast. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for petty officer

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petty officer was in 1744

Cite this Entry

“Petty officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petty%20officer. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

petty officer

noun
: an officer in the Navy or Coast Guard appointed from among enlisted personnel

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