1
as in official
a person who holds a public office
the new governor made a vow that he would always remember why he was called a public servant
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in civil servant
a worker in a government agency
concerned that the new federal agency would just add another slew of public servants to the government payroll
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of public servant
But dismissing public servants as lazy, overpaid or uncaring ignores the reality of the people doing the work — and undermines our ability to attract the talent needed to govern well.
—
John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Wilson pleaded guilty in December to one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony.
—Austen Erblat, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
She was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault of a public servant and drug possession charges.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
In the week before Christmas, while the U.S. Department of Justice was getting ready to release a trove of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case, some of the nation’s most important public servants gathered for a meeting at the DOJ headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public servant
John Atkinson, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Wilson pleaded guilty in December to one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony.
—Austen Erblat, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
She was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault of a public servant and drug possession charges.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
In the week before Christmas, while the U.S. Department of Justice was getting ready to release a trove of documents relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case, some of the nation’s most important public servants gathered for a meeting at the DOJ headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for public servant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for public servant
Noun
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The money to transform the website came from capital improvement projects, but officials could not answer questions about specific bonds or other funding sources used for the project.—
Chaya Tong,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
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The official was noncommittal about whether the administration would continue to negotiate over arrests without judicial warrants.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In 1996 a Swedish journalist, Erling Söderström, accompanied a Brazilian civil servant Sydney Pousselo, on a mission to make peace with Korubo.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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In the first part of the film, Grossman rewinds the tapes of the 1996 trip, organized by a Brazilian civil servant and Swedish journalist Erling Söderström to meet the Korubo tribe, who chose to live far away from civilization.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In a news release, police said officers provided first aid to control heavy bleeding until firefighters and EMS arrived.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Federal prosecutors under former President Joe Biden pressed charges against the officers.—
DYLAN LOVAN,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Moriarty does part-time seasonal election work for the clerk’s office and has worked various positions such as election judge and field tech.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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This is an election year for some county commissioners, clerks, treasurers, assessors and coroners in Ada and Canyon counties.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The House later approved House Bill 1182 on Wednesday, allowing parents of autistic children and children with other disabilities to share tracking device data with their child’s school so administrators can help locate a child in the event of elopement.—
Danielle J. Brown,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Mar. 2026
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Payments frozen, licenses revoked CMS recently froze payments to 10 tenants inside the building and has demanded records before those payments will resume, according to a hospice administrator who received one of the letters.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Even higher-profile employees-turned-critics were ex-Defense Secretary James Mattis and former White House chief of staff John Kelly.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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State employees were granted a day off and schools were required to teach students about his legacy and his involvement in the labor movement in California.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Videos and photos from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex and some workers jumping from a building.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
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The need for the factory, the Navy explains, is a major labor shortage for key skills like welding, precision machining workers, and other specialist engineers.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But some Cubans still revere the 1959 revolution, and, as one foreign official told us, have no desire to humiliate Raúl Castro (Fidel’s 94-year-old brother and a former president), or even Díaz-Canel, who is widely viewed as a weak bureaucrat.—
Sarah Fitzpatrick,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
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There’s no way to collect that money, but don’t be surprised if the city has to hire more bureaucrats to process the late fees.—
Susan Shelley,
Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Public servant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/public%20servant. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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