cadet

noun

ca·​det kə-ˈdet How to pronounce cadet (audio)
plural cadets
Synonyms of cadetnext
1
a
: a younger brother or son
b
: youngest son
c
: a younger branch of a family or a member of it
2
a
: a person in training for a military or naval commission
especially : a student in a service academy
b
: a student at a police academy : a person who is in training to become a police officer
During his swearing-in speech last August, the 54-year-old head cop pointed out that he still wears the same size uniform that he wore when he was a cadet at the Police Academy 34 years ago.—Bernard C. Parks
3
slang : pimp
cadetship
kə-ˈdet-ˌship How to pronounce cadet (audio)
noun

Synonyms of cadet

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Examples of cadet in a Sentence

the hooker claims she turned all her dough in to her cadet last night
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.
William graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an officer cadet in December 2006 and served the British Armed Forces for over seven years. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 14 Aug. 2026 The ammunition matched the casing that Fort Worth police cadets found near the scene of the shooting, according to the affidavit. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Aug. 2026 The Thunderbirds are the main attraction but some of the young civil air cadets from Indiana and Illinois were anxious to glimpse the new F-22 Raptor, a stealth jet that can remain invisible on radar. — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 Shortly before Salinger matriculated, a cadet fell to his death from an academy window under suspicious circumstances. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cadet

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Gascon (15th-century) capdet "chief, captain" (Old Occitan capdel), going back to Vulgar Latin *capitellus "leader," from Latin capit-, caput "head" + -ellus, diminutive suffix, originally from noun stems ending in -ul-, -r-, and -n- — more at head entry 1

Note: Compare capital entry 3, caudillo. In the fifteenth century the younger sons of Gascon nobles, lacking an inheritance, were recruited into the French army to learn the military profession. In this context the Gascon word was loaned into French, but with the sense "younger son," the characteristic feature of these men to the French, rather than with its Gascon meaning. The Gascon connection was soon lost. The -t of capdet shows the peculiar outcome of Latin geminate -ll- in Gascon. The cluster -pd- was simplified in French to -d-.

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cadet was in 1610

Phrases Containing cadet

Rhymes for cadet

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Browse Nearby Words

cade oil
cadet
cadet blue
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Cite this Entry

“Cadet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cadet. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

cadet

noun
ca·​det kə-ˈdet How to pronounce cadet (audio)
1
: a student military officer
2
: a student at a military school
cadetship
-ˌship How to pronounce cadet (audio)
noun
Etymology

from French cadet "a younger brother or son, one training for military service," derived from Latin capitellum, literally, "little (younger) head or chief," from caput "head" — related to cad, caddie, capital, captain, chief see Word History at caddie

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