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lance corporal

(British) A non-commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking above private and below corporal.

ˈlæns ˈkɔɹpɚəl136 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK

(British) A non-commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking above private and below corporal. A rank with NATO code OR-3.

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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(US) An enlisted rank of grade E-3 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above private first class and below corporal. Abbreviated as LCpl.

Origin: From lancepesade, an anglicization from. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

"lance corporal" means: An enlisted rank of grade E-3 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above private first class and below corporal. Abbreviated as LCpl.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

"lance corporal" means: An enlisted rank of grade E-3 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above private first class and below corporal. Abbreviated as LCpl.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (US) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a

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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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