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)

: first lieutenant

(2)

: second lieutenant

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

• adjunct
• adjutant
• aid
• aide
• apprentice
• assistant
• coadjutor
• deputy
• helper
• helpmate
• helpmeet
• mate
• sidekick

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

The lieutenant said the driver of the other vehicle involved in the intersection crash was also hurt and taken to a hospital for treatment. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2024

The lieutenant said the property was abandoned and there were exigent circumstances. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024

In an email disclosed in discovery, Murdoch sent a longtime lieutenant, Col Allan, who edited the Post, his take on Rudy Giuliani. —Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024

According to the lawsuit, when Carlo questioned why the lieutenant hadn’t done more to supervise the training, the lieutenant ordered him to rewrite the unit’s safety guidelines and give a briefing to the whole unit on them. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

Also, everybody in the UAP watch group hated the lieutenant. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024

According to the suit, the lieutenant was never disciplined, maintained his pension and retired in good standing. —Cameron Knight, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024

She was given a prescription, but on April 15, a jailer informed a lieutenant that Masten had been having seizures in her unpadded cell. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024

After going over some adjustments to the plan, Perun turned to a thirty-five-year-old junior lieutenant who stood in front of the interactive panel, peering at the map through prescription ballistic glasses. —Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French lieu tenant, from liu + tenant holding, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre — more at thin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing lieutenant

• first lieutenant
• flight lieutenant
• lieutenant colonel
• lieutenant commander
• lieutenant general
• lieutenant governor
• lieutenant junior grade
• second lieutenant

Kids Definition

lieutenant

noun

lieu·​ten·​ant lü-ˈten-ənt 

1

: an official who acts for a higher official

2

a

: first lieutenant

b

: second lieutenant

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.