-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
lieutenant colonel
noun
: a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a major and below a colonel
Examples of lieutenant colonel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Solomon Bush earned the rank of lieutenant colonel in the American army; at the time, no Jew in Europe could serve as a military officer.
—Adam Jortner, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
John Henry Patterson, a railway administrator and a lieutenant colonel in the British Army, eventually shot and killed the two creatures, then wrote a book about the ordeal.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Oct. 2024
Some lieutenant colonel from troop services with a mustache came by in an old Soviet car to welcome them.
—Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024
Most notably, George Armstrong Custer was a brevet (acting) major general in the Civil War and reverted to captain after the war before eventually being promoted to lieutenant colonel.
—Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lieutenant colonel
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. 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
1598, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of lieutenant colonel was
in 1598
Articles Related to lieutenant colonel
Dictionary Entries Near lieutenant colonel
Cite this Entry
“Lieutenant colonel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lieutenant%20colonel. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
lieutenant colonel
noun
: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of colonel
More from Merriam-Webster on lieutenant colonel
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share