private first class

American

noun

a soldier ranking above a private and below a corporal or specialist fourth class in the U.S. Army, and above a private and below a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Etymology

Origin of private first class

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He never rose beyond private first class during a 1950s stint in the military, but he projected so much machismo that he seemed born to wear an officer’s uniform.

From The Wall Street Journal

But this time, he said the base will be named after Private First Class Roland Bragg, who fought in World War II, rather than a Confederate general.

From BBC

He hated military life so much that he refused a promotion to private first class.

From Los Angeles Times

As a private first class serving in the 603rd Camouflage Engineer Battalion, he created fake shoulder patches that his fellow soldiers wore on their uniforms to impersonate different elements of an infantry division.

From New York Times

Mr. Hamler, a private first class, was not a leader of the unit.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023