lieutenant

plural lieutenants · alternative obsolete leftenant · alternative obsolete leftenaunt · alternative obsolete lieftenant · alternative obsolete lieftenaunt · alternative obsolete lieutenaunt · alternative obsolete lieuftenant · alternative obsolete lievftenant

1. The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
   1. USgovernmentIn the US Army, Air Force and Marines, holding the rank above second lieutenant and below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "lieutenant" or as the complete forms of the ranks.
   2. USgovernmentA naval officer whose rank is above that of ensign in the United States Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant.
   3. USgovernmentA commissioned officer in the United States Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration whose rank is above that of ensign and below lieutenant commander. There are two ranks of lieutenant: lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant.
   4. UKgovernmentA commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, holding the rank above second lieutenant and below captain. Both ranks may be referred to as "lieutenant"; however, "second lieutenant" is to specify that the officer is not yet a full lieutenant.
   5. UKgovernmentA naval officer whose rank is above that of sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and below that of a lieutenant commander.
   6. AustraliaCanadaNew ZealandgovernmentA naval commissioned officer who holds the rank above sub-lieutenant and below lieutenant commander.
2. A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person; a manager to their director.

   Mr. Scott immediately asked someone at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., to get Mr. Nadella, the chief executive, out of a meeting he was having with top lieutenants.

   2023 December 9, Tripp Mickle, Cade Metz, Mike Isaac, Karen Weise, “Inside OpenAI’s Crisis Over the Future of Artificial Intelligence”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

3. The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.

alternative obsolete leftenant · alternative obsolete leftenaunt · alternative obsolete lieftenant · alternative obsolete lieftenaunt · alternative obsolete lieutenaunt · alternative obsolete lieuftenant · alternative obsolete lievftenant

1. not comparableA military grade that is junior to the grade the adjective modifies: lieutenant colonel, lieutenant general, lieutenant commander.

plural Lieutenants

1. Alternative letter-case form of lieutenant (when used as a title before a name)