commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər 

: a person with a commission: such as

a

: a member of a commission

b

: the representative of the governmental authority in a district, province, or other unit often having both judicial and administrative powers

c

: the officer in charge of a department or bureau of the public service

d

: the administrative head of a professional sport

commissionership

kə-ˈmi-sh(ə-)nər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of commissioner in a Sentence

The baseball commissioner decided to suspend the players for 10 games.

Recent Examples on the Web

That hot streak should gain even more steam in a couple weeks when commissioner Adam Silver welcomes a talented new draft class into the league — followed by the interest that surrounds a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade — and what could be the final year of James’ legendary career next season. —Nick Friedell, New York Times, 17 June 2026

Board commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said that the amendment fits into Florida’s broader initiative around teaching character development in schools. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026

Two decades later, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Baltimore Colts quarterback Art Schlichter—who was physically threatened for failing to pay his bookies and sought FBI protection—for betting on games during the 1982 season. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 June 2026

Democrats will choose between Dana Barrett, a Fulton County commissioner, and Penny Brown Reynolds, a former state judge in Fulton County who also served in the Biden administration as deputy assistant secretary for civil rights for the Department of Agriculture. —Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 16 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "person empowered to carry out defined duties," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius, from commissiōn-, commissiō commission entry 1 + Latin -ārius -ary entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing commissioner

• high commissioner
• resident commissioner

Rhymes for commissioner

• conditioner
• parishioner
• petitioner
• positioner
• practitioner
• missioner

Kids Definition

commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er kə-ˈmish-(ə-)nər 

1

: a member of a commission

2

: an official in charge of a government department

Police Commissioner

Legal Definition

commissioner

noun

com·​mis·​sion·​er

: a person with a commission: as

a

: a member of a commission

b

often capitalized : the officer in charge of a government agency

a police commissioner