lieutenant
noun
lieu·ten·ant
lü-ˈte-nənt 
British le(f)-
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)
(2)
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
Synonyms
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 on the Web
Teeple is a lieutenant with the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
—
Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Ryan Salame, another former top lieutenant of Bankman-Fried, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in May.
—Mackenzie Sigalos,dawn Giel, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
Bryan, who was booked Friday morning, remains in custody at the Custer County Jail, Latasha Goodman, an administrative lieutenant for the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed to USA TODAY on Sunday.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
In my situation, my gang came back with a detailed action plan of getting science to the commissioner and his lieutenant about the efficacy of our claims.
—John Evans, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lieutenant 
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Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
Ryan Salame, another former top lieutenant of Bankman-Fried, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in May.
—Mackenzie Sigalos,dawn Giel, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
Bryan, who was booked Friday morning, remains in custody at the Custer County Jail, Latasha Goodman, an administrative lieutenant for the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed to USA TODAY on Sunday.
—Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2024
In my situation, my gang came back with a detailed action plan of getting science to the commissioner and his lieutenant about the efficacy of our claims.
—John Evans, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lieutenant
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Cite this Entry
“Lieutenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieutenant. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lieutenant
noun
lieu·ten·ant
lü-ˈten-ənt
1
: an official who acts for a higher official
2
a
c
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of lieutenant commander
d
: a fire or police department officer ranking below a captain
Etymology
Middle English lieutenant "lieutenant," from early French lieutenant (same meaning), literally, "one holding the place for another," from lieu "place, position" and tenant "holding"
Word Origin
The phrase in lieu of means the same thing as in place of or instead of. The word lieu came into English from early French, in which it meant "place, position, function." Another English word that came from early French is tenant. In early French, this word was an adjective meaning "holding." Joined together, these two words gave the early French word lieutenant. It originally meant "a person holding another person's place" or "a person acting in place of another." In English, lieutenant is best known as a military title, but the word is still sometimes used in its original meaning to refer to a person who acts in lieu of someone else.
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