Phrase guide

non-commissioned officer

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A person of authority in the military who has not received a commission (a direct conveyance of authority from the sovereign government); as such they can have charge or control but not command in the most technical use of the word.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • A platoon sergeant may only be a non-commissioned officer but he's the one his men look to when the bullets start flying.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ضابط صفّ — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Armenian: ենթասպա (entʻaspa) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Chinese Mandarin: 士官 (shìguān) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Chinese Mandarin: 軍士 /军士 (jūnshì) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Czech: poddůstojník — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Czech: poddůstojnice — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Danish: underofficer — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Dutch: onderofficier — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Estonian: allohvitser — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Finnish: aliupseeri — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • French: sous-officier — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • German: Unteroffizier — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Greek: υπαξιωματικός (ypaxiomatikós) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Hebrew: מש״ק — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Hebrew: מפקד שאינו קצין — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Hungarian: altiszt — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Hungarian: tiszthelyettes — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Hungarian: tisztes — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Indonesian: bintara — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Irish: oifigeach neamhchoimisiúnta — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Italian: sottufficiale — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Japanese: 下士官 (kashikan) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Korean: 부사관 (busagwan) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Lithuanian: pùskarininkis — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Lithuanian: pùskarininkė — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Macedonian: подофице́р (podoficér) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Malay: pegawai tidak tauliah — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Norman: souôs-officyi — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Norwegian Bokmål: underoffiser — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Polish: podoficer — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Portuguese: suboficial — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Romanian: subofițer — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Russian: у́нтер-офице́р (únter-oficér) — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Serbo-Croatian: подофицир — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Serbo-Croatian: дочасник — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Serbo-Croatian: podoficir — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Serbo-Croatian: dočasnik — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Slovene: podčastnik — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Spanish: suboficial — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Swedish: underofficer — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Turkish: astsubay — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission
  • Walloon: bas oficî — person of authority in the military who has not received a commission