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second lieutenant
noun
: a commissioned officer of the lowest rank in the army, air force, or marine corps
Examples of second lieutenant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1954, after the founding of the state of Israel, he was drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces as a second lieutenant.
—Robert D. Hershey Jr., New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
In 2006, when Ms. Haley was a first-term state representative, Major Haley finished his college degree and soon thereafter joined the South Carolina Army National Guard as a 36-year-old second lieutenant, older than most new officers.
—Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024
Promoted to second lieutenant, he was dispatched to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena to train as a meteorologist.
—Robert D. Hershey Jr., New York Times, 28 Nov. 2023
His bid backfired when he was posted as a second lieutenant to a combat outpost south of Algiers, the capital.
—Bob Drogin, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
He was commissioned a second lieutenant in officer candidate school in August 1945, just as Japan surrendered in World War II.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2023
In March 2003, a 24-year-old Seth Moulton, then a Marine second lieutenant stationed in Kuwait, made a bet with his fellow troops: President George W. Bush wouldn’t go through with an invasion of Iraq.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023
The year was 1944, and Moody, a second lieutenant and member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, died during a training exercise when the aircraft’s machine guns malfunctioned, badly damaging the propeller.
—Christopher Parker, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Sep. 2023
Potts earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Murray State University in 1986, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in Army Aviation.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 28 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second lieutenant.' 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
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
Cite this Entry
“Second lieutenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second%20lieutenant. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Kids Definition
second lieutenant
noun
: a military commissioned officer of the lowest rank
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