petty officer first class

noun

: an enlisted member of the navy or coast guard ranking above a petty officer second class and below a chief petty officer

Examples of petty officer first class in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Williams was a Naval petty officer first class at the time of her arrest and worked at the Tactical Operations Center at Naval Air Station in Jacksonville. Carol Robinson | [email protected], al, 3 Mar. 2022 David Shaw, a former petty officer first class, told Stars and Stripes that Gallagher’s decision to include the testimony along with each member’s name and rank could threaten operational security for those still in active duty. Madison Dibble, Washington Examiner, 28 Jan. 2020 Gallagher was convicted of posing for a picture with the corpse, and the court ordered him to be dropped in rank from chief to petty officer first class. Dareh Gregorian, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2019 The jury sentenced Gallagher to demotion from chief petty officer (E-7) to petty officer first class (E-6). Noah Feldman, Twin Cities, 29 Nov. 2019 The jury also ordered that the chief be demoted one rank to petty officer first class, a step that became a point of contention. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petty officer first class was in 1878

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Cite this Entry

“Petty officer first class.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petty%20officer%20first%20class. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

petty officer first class

noun
: a naval petty officer with a rank just below that of chief petty officer
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