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

The Catholic churches in the Netherlands opposed the policy, and in response, the Nazi commissioner of the Netherlands declared that all Jews who had been baptized as Catholic be deported. —Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026

At times, the discussion became tense, with some attendees shouting at commissioners and reacting loudly after votes. —Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 21 Apr. 2026

She has also been criticized for not raising her voice on Selection Sundays, as if a conference commissioner could rant and rave more teams in the Field of 68. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026

Stark is the former finance commissioner of New York City. —Martha E. Stark, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 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