lieutenant colonel

plural lieutenant colonels · plural lieutenants colonel

1. An army officer in many countries, ranking below a colonel and above a major. Often the commander of a battalion or the executive officer of a regiment.

   Synonyms: half-colonel

2. An English-language term used as a general categorization for military officer ranks that are the equivalent of lieutenant colonel, the relative rank level is found in most countries.
3. An officer in the United States Marine Corps or Royal Marines, of equivalent rank to their counterparts in the army.
4. An officer in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve, or Air National Guard, ranking below colonel and above major. Often the commander of a squadron or the executive officer of a wing.

plural Lieutenant Colonels · alternative Lieutenant-Colonel

1. governmentAn army officer title for the rank of lieutenant colonel, found in many countries.

   Lieutenant Colonels Smith and Gildea were awarded the Order of the Fatherland, Second Class.

   1955, Carl R[aymond] Gray, Jr., “Operations in Iran, 1942-1945”, in Railroading in Eighteen Countries: The Story of American Railroad Men serving in the Military Railway Service, 1862 to 1953, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 268

2. governmentA military officer title used in English for ranks that are treated as the equivalent to the rank of lieutenant colonel, in which the equivalent ranks are found in most countries.