second lieutenant

noun

: a commissioned officer of the lowest rank in the army, air force, or marine corps

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web He was transferred as a second lieutenant into the Durham Light Infantry, but shortly before the 1944 D-Day landing, he was declared unfit for service, diagnosed with a nerve illness that could cause paralysis. —

Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Nov. 2022 Ramos held every rank in the Philippine army from second lieutenant to commander-in-chief. —

Reuters, CNN, 31 July 2022 Within a few months, the former second lieutenant was regularly ingesting considerable quantities of LSD under the auspices of the International Foundation for Advanced Study, in Menlo Park. —

Benjamin Kunkel, The New Republic, 14 June 2022 At first Ben attempted to remain in the infantry, and his commanding officer requested that he be commissioned a second lieutenant of infantry. —

James Freeman, WSJ, 27 May 2022 He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army after graduating, the Washington Post reported. —

Orlando Mayorquin, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2022 In 1999, she was also commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. —

Jourdan Bennett-begaye, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2022 The 23-year-old had just received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was days away from graduating Bowie State University. —

Diane Herbst, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2022 In June of 1945, one month after Germany’s surrender, my brother graduated from dental school, and was instantly sent, as a second lieutenant, to Camp Grant, in Rockford, Illinois, to join an Army medical unit. —

Cynthia Ozick, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2022 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of second lieutenant was in 1702

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Dictionary Entries Near second lieutenant

second language

second lieutenant

second-line

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Second lieutenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20lieutenant. Accessed 29 Jan. 2023.

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