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military officer

military officer

38 3.2
A person in charge of soldiers who gives orders and leads them
  • noun
  • /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri ˈɔfɪsər/
translation icon : oficial (militar)
  • A military officer was stationed at the base to oversee daily operations and manage personnel.
  • senior military officers
  • ranking military officers
  • career military officers

There was a uniform British military officer waiting and Clyde thought he must be here for the Kuwaiti royal who was travelling in first class.

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Examples

  • Two Colombian officials and an American military officer died in last Thursday's blast.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The former two, at least, leave some room for military officers to influence policy.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Our hotel was full of American military officers.

  • War production was generally in the hands of civil servants and military officers.

    Academic text (1990)
  • So later that day, only a few blocks away, there were two military officers on patrol.

  • Among the few serious presidential and vice-presidential candidates, three were military officers on active duty.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The room is crammed with military officers, Secret Service men, and, at the center, three intimidated doctors.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Inside was one man, a military officer in his early sixties, seated on a side-facing seat.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Many legislators believe that military officers, by virtue of their training, possess expertise that civilians cannot match.

    Academic text (1990)
  • While the soldiers successfully defended Georgia against Spanish attacks, military officers sowed uncertainty and confusion by trying to direct civilian affairs.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

officer
vsmilitary officer
2.4

A person in the army, navy, or air force who gives orders

often notes that the authority comes with a commissioned rank
military leader
vsmilitary officer
68 3.3

A person who commands soldiers or an army

is about holding an official position of authority often defined by rank
commissioned officer
vsmilitary officer
  • Specialized
3 3.6

A member of the military who has power from the government to give orders

is less specific about formal commission and gives a more general description
commissioned military officer
vsmilitary officer
  • Specialized
5.8

A person in the military who has official rank and command

usually shows authority as coming from a formal appointment

How Senior

general
636 4.2
senior
800 2.9
military officer
38 3.2
lieutenant
  • Specialized
614 5.8
junior
99 2.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

military + officer

The meaning 'a person in the armed forces who holds a position of authority' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'military' (related to soldiers/war) with 'officer' (a person holding rank). This ADJ + NOUN compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The term military officer comes from older use of officer, which meant someone with an 'office' or duty who gave orders, and military simply meant the army or fighting forces. So a military officer is a person in the armed forces who has the power to give orders.