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Military & Defence vocabulary · Ranks & Personnel

Lieutenant

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/lefˈtenənt/nounCore term

In military & defence, lieutenant means: A junior officer rank, usually the first one an officer holds after training; in the army a lieutenant often commands a platoon.

In Turkish: teğmen, üsteğmen

How it is used

Armies have second lieutenant and lieutenant (UK) or first lieutenant (US). In navies a lieutenant is a higher rank, equal to an army captain. The word also appears in lieutenant colonel and lieutenant general.

Example sentences

  1. The new lieutenant spent her first week getting to know the platoon.

  2. He was promoted from second lieutenant to lieutenant after two years.

Common collocations

  • second lieutenant
  • first lieutenant
  • lieutenant colonel
  • lieutenant general
  • officerA member of the armed forces who holds a commission, has authority over others and is trained to lead units and plan operations.
  • captainAn army or air force officer rank above lieutenant; in the navy, a much more senior rank held by officers who command large ships.
  • platoonA unit of about 20 to 50 soldiers, formed of several squads or sections and normally led by a lieutenant with a platoon sergeant.
  • rankA person's official level in the military hierarchy, shown on the uniform, which decides their authority, duties and pay.

More terms: Ranks & Personnel

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